Venus driving ‘lawfully’ at time of fatal crash: Police

Tennis star Venus Williams legally entered an intersection but 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 say video released shows.

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 neighborhood shortly after 1 PM (local time) 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.

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 on Friday said the video has caused investigators to rescind their original conclusion that Williams was at fault and that no blame has yet been determined. Jerome Barson's estate has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Williams seeking unspecified damages.