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

Venus Williams.
(Image credit: Elsa/Getty Images)

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.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.