Venus Williams has been sued by the family of an elderly man who died in a car crash allegedly caused by the tennis star which she described as an ‘unfortunate accident’. The crash happened on June 9 and a Palm Beach Gardens police report said Miss Williams was ‘at fault for violating the right of way of [the other driver].’
The Grand Slam champion was trying to get across a junction when she was hit from the side by another car.
Jerome Barson, 78, was a passenger being driven by his wife Linda and suffered serious head injuries. He was taken to hospital but died two weeks later on June 23. The family are now seeking unspecified damages for loss of companionship for both Linda and their family, loss of earnings, pain and suffering, and medical and funeral expenses.
Ms. Williams’ lawyer, Malcolm Cunningham, said in a statement last night: ‘This is an unfortunate accident and Venus expresses her deepest condolences to the family who lost a loved one.’
He added that Ms. Williams had entered an intersection while the light was green and was going 5mph when the other vehicle crashed into hers. He said she was not given a ticket or charged. Ms. Williams, 37, is due to compete at Wimbledon next week where she is the tenth seed.
This isn’t the first time Williams had a dangerous crash. On July 3, 2013 her Toyota was involved in a crash on I-95 in Palm Beach County, and was cited for driving on a suspended or revoked license.
Her license was suspended on May 8, 2013, for failure to pay fines. She paid a $163 fine after that incident.
