Tennis star Venus Williams is being sued by the family of a man who died in a car crash in which she was involved.
Court officials in Palm Beach County, Florida, confirmed that the family of Jerome Barson, 78, filed the lawsuit against Williams on Friday.
A police report released Thursday described Williams as being “at fault” in the incident, which took place this month. Police have not charged Williams with an offense.
An attorney for Barson’s wife, Linda, who was driving at the time of the crash, accuses Williams of running a red light as well as inattentive and negligent driving.
The attorney, Michael Steinger, said he thought there might be video of the crash that was captured by surveillance cameras at the guard houses protecting Williams’ neighborhood.
An attorney for Williams, Malcolm Cunningham, said she entered a six-lane intersection on a green light but got stuck in traffic while trying to turn. The light then turned red while Williams was still making her turn, he said.
Williams said she didn’t see the Barsons’ car before she crossed into their lane. Jerome Barson spent two weeks in a hospital with a fractured spine and internal injuries before he died.
Williams is in England preparing to play in the Wimbledon championships, where she has won the women’s singles title five times. Her younger sister, Serena Williams, the world’s fourth-ranked women’s tennis player, is not playing in the tournament because she is pregnant.
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