Summary: Tennis star Venus Williams was involved in a fatal car accident in Florida.
On Monday, Venus Williams won Wimbledon, but she emerged from the tournament in tears. The reason? Instead of celebrating her victory, she was confronted with questions about a recent car accident she had caused, which had killed a 78-year-old man.
The tennis star was involved in a fatal car crash on June 9th in Florida. Police said that she was at fault for running a red light, and in the intersection, a car driven by Lisa Barson slammed into Williams’ SUV. Barson’s husband, Jerome, 78, suffered head injuries in the crash and died two weeks later.
At the Wimbledon press conference, reporters asked Williams, 37, about the crash, and she started to choke up.
“There are really no words to describe, like, how devastating and ― yeah. I’m completely speechless,” Williams said before she excused herself. She returned and said she would only answer questions about tennis.
After police declared Williams at fault, Lisa Barson, 68, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the tennis player, who had been driving at 5 mph, according to Palm Beach Gardens Police. Barson is seeking $15,000, according to NBC News.
According to personal injury attorney John L. Perstein, a surviving family can win a wrongful death accident if they can prove liability and damages. Perstein wrote in Forbes that Williams’ case will most likely end up settled out of court, similar to Caitlyn Jenner’s wrongful death lawsuit.
In 2015, Jenner was responsible for a multi-car accident in Malibu that resulted in the death of Kim Rowe. Her children filed a wrongful death lawsuit and said that Jenner’s negligence was to blame.
The Florida police report said that Williams did not have the right of way when she drove her 2010 Toyota Sequoia SUV through an intersection, but she was not texting or inebriated. So far, she has not been issued a citation or charged.
Lisa Barson said that she was approaching the intersection when her light turned green. She said she was unable to stop in time when her car crashed into Williams’.
Lisa Barson sustained moderate injuries, and Williams was not hurt.
Williams told police that she had entered the intersection while the light was green, but she had been forced to stop midway because of traffic. She said that she had not seen the Barson car when she crossed into their lane.
The Barson family is being represented by attorney Michael Steinger who said Williams ran a red light, failed to yield the right-of way, was driving inattentively, and had been negligently operating a motor vehicle.
Steinger said that Jerome Barson was healthy and had planned to go on a Disney cruise with his family before his death.
“This was the love of her life that she spent every day with. They did everything together,” Steinger said.
Williams has acknowledged her condolences to the Barson family on Facebook, and during the press conference, she was clearly hurting over what had happened. Her attorney Malcolm Cunningham also told Fox News that she was sorry.
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Photo courtesy of CNN