Venus Williams once settled a wrongful death lawsuit after fatal car crash in Florida just days before her 20th Wimbledon appearance

The seasoned tennis star was cleared of all charges related to the fatal car crash.

Venus Williams once settled a wrongful death lawsuit after fatal car crash in Florida just days before her 20th Wimbledon appearance

Venus Williams (Credit: Tennis TV)

Back in 2018, Venus Williams reached a settlement in a wrongful death suit after the collision of her Toyota Sequoia and the Barson family’s Hyundai Accent resulted in the death of Jerome Barson. The victim succumbed to his fatal injuries 13 days later. The incident took place at an intersection in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

The Palm Beach Gardens Police got the surveillance video of the accident. The footage showed that Williams had to stop her car at a busy intersection at a green traffic light due to an unidentified car that illegally turned left.

YouTube video

This led to a chain of events, and the moment the car passed, Williams started her car to cross the intersection where the collision took place. Barson’s wife Linda Barson was driving the car, but it was Jerome Barson who suffered fatal injuries. As per the reports, he suffered “severed main arteries, massive internal bleeding, a fractured spine, and massive internal organ damage” and was rushed to the hospital but died 13 days after the incident.

The Police issued a statement after the crash, stating that Williams did not break any laws while stopping at the intersection because she was trying to avoid the collision with the unidentified car. Williams had reportedly told the police that she was driving slowly and did not see Barson’s car. Audrey Gassner-Dunayer, the couple’s daughter, filed the wrongful death lawsuit, citing negligence. 

Though both parties reached a settlement following the lawsuit, the settlement amount has not been revealed.

Related: EXCLUSIVE: Rick Macci full of praise for Venus Williams’ mental toughness after strong comeback from injury

Venus Williams broke down in tears at Wimbledon post the accident

When Venus Williams settled a wrongful death lawsuit after fatal car crash in Florida just days before her 20th Wimbledon appearance
Venus Williams (Image via Eurosport)

The incident happened a couple of days after Venus Williams’ defeat at the 2017 French Open and before her 20th appearance at the Wimbledon Championships. At the press conference at the All England Club, the five-time champion broke down in tears after beating Elise Mertens 7-6, 6-4 in the first round. This was her first match since that horrid car crash, and the police at that time alleged that she caused it.

“There are really no words to describe, like, how devastating and -yeah. I’m completely speechless. It’s just- yeah, I mean, I’m just…” Williams’ voice trailed off and she eventually stepped out of the box. But she returned after about five minutes to answer questions related to her game.

“I am broken and devastated and heartbroken by this accident. My heart condolences go out to the family and friends of Jerome Barson and I continue to keep them in my thoughts and prayers,” she also wrote on Facebook back then.

In case you missed!