Venus Williams facing lawsuit by family of man who died in fatal car accident
The family of the man who died in the car accident involving tennis star Venus Williams is suing Williams.
Michael Steinger, attorney for Linda Barson, said Friday on “Good Morning America” that the family will file suit against Williams over the accident on June 9 that left Jerome Barson, 78, with head injuries. Barson died two weeks after the crash.
Steinger added that the family is also trying to get police to release video evidence of the incident, which they say has not been handed over to them.
“At this point we are attempting to both preserve the evidence and gain access to the evidence,” Steinger said. “There are video cameras that were placed at guard houses where Ms. Williams lives and police have refused after multiple requests to turn those over to us and we would like to see visual portrayal of the accident on those videos.
“They [police] have impounded all of the vehicles and have impeded our ability to conduct our investigation and be able to move forward.”
According to a police report filed in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., Williams ran a red light in her 2010 Toyota Sequoia SUV, causing a crash that injured Barson and his wife, Linda. Linda Barson was driving a 2016 Hyundai Accent that crashed into the side of Williams’ SUV. Barson told investigators that she was approaching the intersection when her light turned green and that she was unable to stop in time. She suffered unspecified moderate injuries. Williams, 37, was not hurt.
The accident occurred after Williams’ loss in the French Open. Police said there was no evidence that drugs, alcohol or texting while driving were factors in the crash.
Williams told investigators she had entered the six-lane intersection on a green light but had been forced to stop midpoint by traffic ahead of her. She said she did not see the Barsons’ car when she crossed into their lanes. She was traveling at 5 mph when she entered the intersection, according to the police report.
Williams’ attorney, Malcolm Cunningham, said in a statement that Williams expressed “her deepest condolences to the family who lost a loved one.”
Her publicist told the Associated Press that she will play at Wimbledon next week.
Twitter: @edmgonzalez
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