Man arrested on DUI charges in Lakewood Ranch area fatality

After several months of criminal investigation, the Florida Highway Patrol has made a DUI manslaughter arrest in relation to a car accident that killed a Lakewood Ranch resident in January.

Florida Highway Patrol troopers on June 30 arrested Myakka’s Brian Banks, 53, on DUI manslaughter, a second-degree felony, and on three counts of DUI property damage and two counts of DUI injury. His blood alcohol level was more than three times the limit at the time of the crash.

Banks caused a three-car accident Jan. 16 at the intersection of State Road 70 and Braden Run. Banks’ 2016 Nissan Frontier had been driving westbound on State Road 70 in the middle lane when he drove up on another vehicle, striking it from behind and pushing the car across the westbound lane of S.R. 70 and into oncoming traffic. The third vehicle tried to avoid impact, but could not. 

The driver of the second vehicle, Lakewood Ranch’s William "Rocky" Aker, died of his injuries. The driver and passenger of the third vehicle, Michael and Mary Molloy, also of Lakewood Ranch, suffered minor injuries. Banks himself was seriously injured.

A toxicology analysis of Banks blood determined he had an Ethyl alcohol level of .274 g/100 ml of blood at the time of the accident. Florida law considers a driver with .08 or higher blood alcohol content to be impaired.