Venus Williams car crash: Video shows tennis star entered intersection legally, police say
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Venus Williams of the United States returns to Japan's Naomi Osaka during their Women's Singles Match on day five at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London Friday, July 7, 2017. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) (Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
Tennis star Venus Williams legally entered an intersection and did not break the law in the ensuing car crash that resulted in one person's death, police said Friday upon releasing a surveillance video of the incident.
The video shows that Williams was cut off by another car, setting off a chain of events that seconds later resulted in a fatal crash with a third car, police said.
Investigators have now rescinded their originial conclusion that Williams was at fault.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The video 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 neighborhood shortly after 1 p.m. June 9.
When the light turns green, the white car turns left onto a six-lane, heavily traveled boulevard, but Williams heads straight. A dark colored 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.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Palm Beach Gardens police said in a statement Friday that Barson's light had turned green just before Williams moved in front of her. Barson's 78-year-old husband, Jerome Barson, died June 23 from injuries suffered in the crash.
Williams, who was not hurt, has not been cited or charged. Police spokesman Maj. Paul Rogers said Friday that no blame has yet been determined.
Jerome Barson's estate has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Williams seeking unspecified damages. Linda Barson, 68, suffered numerous fractures to her arm.
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Williams, 37, is now in England competing at Wimbledon, a tournament she has won five times. The 10th-seeded Williams, who has won her first three matches, broke down in tears Monday when asked at a press conference about the crash.
Michael Steinger, the attorney for the Barson family, said the video shows Williams caused the crash by "violating the Barsons' right of way. "
"There is nothing that disputes Ms. Williams' was in the intersection on a red light, and the witnesses clearly confirm the Barsons had a green light and lawfully entered the intersection," Steinger said in a statement.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Williams' attorney, Malcolm Cunningham, will be releasing a statement later Friday, his spokeswoman Kirby Allison said. 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.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.