When you live in a suburb that has precious few areas that are safe for pedestrians, you have to figure that the sullen guy leaning hard into the beer and shots four stools over is not going to get home that evening without driving. That's just a fact of life - - one that the owner of Franklin's Buckhorn Inn did not take seriously enough, evidently, when vetting and "training" his bartending staff.
From news coverage of the tragedy:
According to the complaint, Keck drank two bottles of beer around 11 a.m., then left to visit his children for Christmas, returning to the bar around 3:30 p.m.
Bartenders said they served him at least three bottles of Miller Genuine Draft, two shots of Goldschlager and one shot of Rumplemintz during his second visit. One bartender said Keck "could barely walk or talk" and was slurring his words when he left the bar shortly before 6 p.m. The bartender said he was not concerned about Keck driving because Keck usually passed out in his work van outside, the complaint says.
Problem is, he didn't "pass out in his work van" (excellent and safe plan, huh?). Keck attempted to drive home, killing two people on the way.
In addition to being ignorant of the term "overserving," the Buckhorn bartenders were also evidently unaware of carbon monoxide poisoning or hypothermia, two of the dangers Keck faced if he indeed "passed out in his work van outside," which the bartenders seemed to think was a perfectly viable option. With friends like these ...
The Franklin Common Council will debate action against the Buckhorn Tavern tonight; they rejected an independent special prosecutor's proposal of a 75-day closure.
Interesting side note: The Buckhorn's parking lot remained well used in the days and weeks after the accident; the bar seemed to suffer no stigma resulting from the incident.
It was as if nothing had happened...
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