The Venus Williams car crash saga has taken yet another turn as the family of the dead man continues to maneuver for a successful lawsuit against the tennis superstar.
Originally, the Palm Beach, Florida, police reported that Williams was at fault in the crash, though they did not cite her on the day of the accident. Upon further investigation, however, the authorities looked at the events leading up the crash via the video and cleared the 5-time Wimbledon champ of any wrongdoing.
Recently leaked court documents, on the contrary, show that this case is far from settled.
Williams says she cannot be held fully responsible for the fatal car crash that killed Jerome Barson, 78, citing seat belts and car issues as well as “third parties” who interfered with her clearing the intersection.
New court documents reveal that Williams is claiming that injuries could have been less severe had Barson and his wife, Linda, been buckled up, The Daily Mail reported.
However, Barson’s attorney, Michael Steinger, countered against Williams, saying the information collected from the car after the crash shows that both Barsons were, in fact, wearing their seatbelts.
Williams also claims that the Barson’s car was not adequately maintained to be considered safe, though again, Steinger said that documentation proved otherwise and would show that the car was in perfect working order.
In the docs, Williams also claimed that Linda’s injuries were not bad enough that she could collect damages under Florida law. Linda Barson suffered a cracked sternum, a shattered right arm, and a broken wrist, hand and fingers.
Williams also said that “third parties” were involved in the crash and that they should also be held accountable. Video of the crash showed that Williams was trying to drive through an intersection when a car suddenly turned in front of her, causing her to come to a stop and blocking the intersection when the Barsons, who maintained that they had the right of way and could not avoid Williams, crashed into her.
