Rhinelander - The teenage driver killed in May's Antigo crash was drinking, and found to be well over the legal limit when he and his friend died.
Still, tomorrow's festivities for Independence day will likely mean more teens drinking illegally as well. And the adults who supply them, could face devastating consequences.
Teens in Rhinelander said everyone their age drinks, and that alcohol is easy to come by.
"I know a lot of people around here that drink, I don't know many that don't,” said 15-year-old, Nick Hoffman, “It’s a weekend thing mostly.”
And where are they getting the alcohol?
“Older brothers, uncles, dads sometimes."
Even though they may know how dangerous underage drinking can be, it doesn’t seem to faze them.
"A buddy of mine was going down the highway, and lost control and hit a tree. He just busted his truck up pretty bad but, he was fine," said Hoffman.
"Do you think he'll still drink and drive?"
"Oh yeah."
"I don't think [the consequences] comes to their mind, to be honest,” said 15-year-old Haley Wales, “The only thing I think they're worried of is getting caught by the cops."
Teens may not be old enough to appreciate the consequences of drinking, but those providing the alcohol need to. They can face hundreds of dollars in fines for each teen they supply, and be held accountable if an accident occurs.
“Once those kids leave, if they're involved in a car accident or something like that, that civil liability is gonna come back to haunt the people that originally allowed those children to have the alcohol," said Capt. Ron Lueneberg of the Rhinelander Police.
In the case of the two Antigo teens killed in May's alcohol-related crash, the question of who provided alcohol remains.
But the Wisconsin State patrol is still investigating, and the supplier or suppliers could face civil liability for their deaths.
Written By: Kailey Burton