Police: Venus Williams at fault in fatal car accident in Florida

(Image credit: Elsa/Getty Images)

last updated 30 June 2017

A police report released Thursday by authorities in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, says that tennis star Venus Williams caused a car accident on June 9 that led to the death of a 79-year-old passenger in the other vehicle.

Witnesses told officers that Williams ran a red light, and a Hyundai Accent smashed into her Toyota Sequoia. Williams told investigators she entered the intersection when her light turned green, but had to stop because of traffic ahead of her. Williams said she did not see the Accent, driven by Linda Barson, when she crossed into its lane. Barson suffered moderate injuries, and her husband, Jerome Barson, died two weeks later from injuries sustained in the crash. Williams was not hurt.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox