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Florida police say a newly surfaced video shows tennis star Venus Williams was acting lawfully when she drove her vehicle into an intersection before a fatal crash with another car on June 9.
Jerome Barson, 78, who was a passenger in a sedan that collided with the SUV Williams was driving, was fatally injured. His family filed a wrongful death suit against Williams last week.
Williams, the former top-ranked tennis player in the world, on Friday won her third-round match at the Wimbledon tournament in England.
- The video, taken by a security camera, shows Williams heading north as she stops her 2010 Toyota Sequoia SUV at a stoplight behind a white car as she exits her Palm Beach Gardens neighbourhood shortly after 1:00pm, June 9.
- When the light turns green, the white car turns left onto a six-lane boulevard, but Williams heads straight. A dark coloured sedan turns left in front of her, causing her to stop.
- She then continues straight into the far, westbound lanes, where her SUV is struck in the passenger's side by a 2016 Hyundai sedan driven by Linda Barson.
A statement from the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department said a video, taken from the entrance to the gated community where Williams lives, indicated she acted lawfully in entering the intersection before the crash.
The statement said the video showed a car not involved in the collision stalled Williams' progress, causing her to linger in the intersection. When the traffic light changed, an approaching car driven by Barson's wife, Linda, collided with Williams' vehicle.
The initial traffic report said Williams, 37, was at fault for failing to yield the right of way to Barson.
But on Friday, Major Paul Rogers of the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department said a fuller investigation began after Barson's death on June 22.
He said police had not made a final determination of fault in the investigation.
The Barson family's attorney, Michael Steinger, issued a statement on Friday (local time), saying the video, "continues to support the fact that Ms Williams remained in the intersection at a red light, violating the Barsons' right of way."
Williams' attorney, Malcolm Cunningham, disagreed, saying in a statement Linda Barson was at fault.
"[Williams] had the right to proceed through the intersection and other vehicles including those with a red light changing to green, were obligated to yield the right-of-way," Cunningham said, adding, "she remains deeply saddened by the loss suffered by the Barson family and continues to keep them in her thoughts and prayers."
Williams has career on-court earnings of more than $34 million and her own clothing line, EleVen.
According to Forbes Magazine, she also has endorsement deals with Ralph Lauren, Kraft foods, Tide detergent and Wilson sporting goods.
Her younger sister, Serena Williams, the world's fourth-ranked women's player, is sitting out Wimbledon as she is pregnant with her first child.
Reuters/AP
Topics: tennis, sport, road, accidents, disasters-and-accidents, united-states