Venus Williams Blamed In Fatal Car Crash ... 78-Year-Old Man Dies 
 
 Venus Williams Blamed In Fatal Car Crash That Killed 78-Year-Old Man 
 
 EXCLUSIVE 
 
 1:40 PM PT -- Venus is now breaking her silence ... calling the incident an "unfortunate accident" and insisting she explain what happened from her point of view. Williams, 37, told investigators she had entered the six-lane intersection on a green light but had been forced to stop midpoint by traffic ahead of her. "This is an unfortunate accident and Venus expresses her deepest condolences to the family who lost a loved one," Williams' attorney, Malcolm Cunningham, said in a statement. The driver of the other car -- the wife of the victim -- told cops she was approaching an intersection westbound in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida on June 9 when Venus' northbound SUV suddenly darted into the intersection. The other driver, identified as Linda Barson, said she could not stop her 2016 Hyundai Accent in time and hit Williams' car. According to TMZ Sports, which first reported the crash, the driver's husband sustained head trauma in the crash and was taken to a hospital. He never recovered and died 2 weeks later. Michael Steinger, attorney for the Barsons, said Friday morning on "Good Morning America" that a wrongful death lawsuit had been filed against Williams. According to the police report, "[Venus] is at fault for violating the right of way of [the other driver]." Police say in the report there was no evidence Venus was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. We reached out to Williams for comment -- so far, no word back.
– Police say tennis star Venus Williams was at fault in a traffic accident that resulted in the death of a 78-year-old man, TMZ reports, citing a police report from the June 9 incident in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. According to ESPN, Williams told police she was trying to get through an intersection before the light changed. She didn't make it, forced to slow down due to traffic. Her SUV was T-boned by another car entering the intersection. The driver of the other car told police she didn't have time to slow down. Her passenger, 78-year-old Jerome Barson, suffered head trauma and died at the hospital two weeks later. Police said Williams was at fault for being in the intersection, and an investigation is ongoing. A lawyer for Williams calls it an "unfortunate accident." Williams is seeded 10th at Wimbledon, which starts Monday.