On June 9, tennis star Venus Williams was involved in a fatal Florida car crash that left the driver with moderate injuries and took a passenger’s life. Williams was virtually unscathed. However, the 78-year-old passenger, Jerome Barson, was taken to the ICU. Sadly, he died two weeks later.
On Thursday, Venus Williams filed an emergency protective order. This motion prevented the lawyer of Linda Barson, who the driver of the other car and wife of the victim, from conducting an inspection of Barson's Hyundai Accent and downloading its data.
On Friday, according to The New York Times, authorities investigating the tragic collision stated that “Williams lawfully entered the intersection on a circular green traffic signal.” In addition to the statement released on Twitter, The Palm Beach Gardens Police Department also released a video of the incident.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
"The vehicle driven by Linda Barson was traveling west on Northlake (Boulevard), in the outside lane, approaching a steady red traffic signal," the statement said. "The traffic signal then cycled to green, at which time Barson continued westbound and entered the intersection. The front end of Barson's vehicle collided with the right front of (Williams') vehicle."
Here's the press release update on the Venus Williams crash pic.twitter.com/ooPE1LpKAV
— Chris Shepherd (@ChrisShepherd) July 7, 2017
No criminal charges have been filed. Despite the footage, authorities have stated that the investigation remains ongoing.
"The investigation is still underway, and a final determination has not been made at this time," said Paul Rogers, a spokesman for the Palm Beach Gardens police.
During a recent interview at Wimbledon, Williams tearfully answered questions regarding the incident.
"There are really no words to describe, like, how devastating and — yeah. I'm completely speechless. It's just ..." Williams said trailing off.