Venus Williams crash investigation
Police say they are still studying the evidence
Palm Beach Gardens Police Maj. Paul Rogers said Monday that his agency still has not determined who was at fault in a June 9 car accident that left one man dead. “Aswe actively investigate it, we learn new things, we discover new evidence,” Rogers said. “That’s why we are saying no final determination has been made at this time.”
With new details emerging in the fatal crash involving Venus Williams, it can be tough to tell who police think caused the collision.
In their crash report, Palm Beach Gardens police listed Williams as “at fault” in the June 9 wreck. But on Friday, citing surveillance video, police said the tennis star “lawfully entered” the intersection where the crash happened.
A police spokesman on Monday cleared up some of the confusion. Palm Beach Gardens Police Maj. Paul Rogers said the agency still hasn’t determined who’s at fault. Before deciding that, detectives are looking at all of the available evidence, he said.
“As we actively investigate it, we learn new things, we discover new evidence,” Rogers said. “That’s why we are saying no final determination has been made at this time.”
An initial police report indicated Williams, 37, was at fault in the June 9 crash that killed Jerome Barson, 78. On Friday, police released new video footage of the crash, and said Williams “lawfully entered” the intersection.
Williams’ attorney, Malcolm Cunningham, said he remains confident his client
won’t face criminal charges. The video shows she entered the intersection on a green light and state law-entitles her to cross the intersection, he said.
“Clearly, there is a conclusion in the sense that the initial report ascribed fault to her,” Cunningham said. “I think that the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department made findings based on what they knew, but their continuing investigation revealed that, indeed, Miss Williamswas lawfully in the intersection.”
Representatives from the Barson family couldn’t be reached for comment Monday. The family’s attorney, Michael Steinger, said in a statement Friday that video evidence shows Williams was in the intersection during a red light, “violating the Barsons’ right of way.”
The crash happened at 1:13 p.m. near the gated entrance to the Ballen Isles Community, where Williams lives. A crash report said neither drugs nor alcohol were involved and both drivers claimed to have a green light.
In footage released Friday, Williams, who was driving an SUV, was cut off by a left-turning Nissan Altima as she passed through the intersection, causing her to stop momentarily. The Barsons, in their Hyundai, drove into the intersection when the light turned green, hitting Willliams.
Barson’s family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Williams, who was not injured in the collision.