Newly released police body-cam video shows tennis star Venus Williams talking with a police officer after a car crash that killed a 78-year-old man in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida on June 9.
Jerome Barson died from his injuries two weeks after the accident, and his wife, Linda, who was driving the car, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Williams.
The footage, released Thursday, shows a police officer at the scene chatting with a visibly shocked Williams as she sits in the driver’s seat of her SUV. The officer’s language is cryptic and noncommittal, at one point saying it’s Williams’ “fault.”
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According to the police report, Williams’ car was hit by the Barsons’ vehicle after she got delayed in the intersection behind another car.
“You just got stuck in a bad situation there,” he said. “Let the insurance companies work it out. I’m not giving you a citation. I don’t feel comfortable writing you a citation when I’m not 100 per cent sure, and I’m not 100 per cent sure in this case.”
Additional video, also released on Thursday, shows the police attending to the Barsons. In the video, Jerome is conscious, but bleeding and confused — it was later determined that he had multiple internal injuries and a broken spine. Linda appears relatively unharmed. (You can watch that below.)
Security video released earlier showed another car turning left had cut off Williams, forcing her to stop as she crossed an intersection. When she restarted, the light for the Barson car had turned green and it plowed into Williams’ SUV.
The Palm Beach Gardens Police Department issued a statement in June saying Williams was “at fault” for failing to yield, but then said after further investigation that Williams legally entered the intersection. The crash is still being investigated, and police haven’t made any conclusions about culpability as of this writing.
Williams broke down at a recent Wimbledon press conference when asked about the accident.
Last month a rep for Williams told ET Canada:
“Ms. Williams entered the intersection on a green light. The police report estimates that Ms. Williams was travelling at 5 miles per hour when Mrs. Barson crashed into her. Authorities did not issue Ms. Williams with any citations or traffic violations. This is an unfortunate accident and Venus expresses her deepest condolences to the family who lost a loved one.”
— With files from The Associated Press