Autopsy reveals blunt-force trauma

An autopsy report released Thursday details the injuries that killed a 78-year-old West Palm Beach man after the car he was riding in collided with tennis star Venus Williams’ SUV in June.

Jerome Barson was admitted to the hospital with lacerations to his spleen, pelvic and spinal fractures. While there, he developed multi-organ failure and remained in the intensive care unit until his death 13 days after the crash, according to the autopsy.

The official cause of death was complications involving blunt force trauma because of the accident, the medical examiner ruled.

Barson was a passenger in a 2016 Hyundai Accent driven by his wife. The car collided with Williams, 37, as she waited in an intersection in Palm Beach Gardens on June 9th.

Footage released in July, showed Williams was cut off by a left-turning Nissan Altima as she passed through the intersection, causing her to stop momentarily.

Barson and his wife drove into the intersection when the light turned green, hitting Willliams.

An initial police report indicated Williams was at fault, but then police released the video footage of the crash in July showing that Williams lawfully entered the intersection, according to a Palm Beach Gardens police press release.

Barson’s family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Williams, who was not injured in the collision.