It was a Friday afternoon in June 2017. Most people were thinking about the upcoming weekend or maybe the grass courts at Wimbledon, which were just weeks away. But for Venus Williams, a routine drive near her home in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, turned into a tragedy that would dominate headlines for over a year.
If you remember the news cycles back then, they were messy. One day she was at fault; the next, she wasn't. There were lawsuits, tears at press conferences, and a lot of finger-pointing. Honestly, even now, people get the details mixed up.
So, let’s get into what actually went down on that intersection at Northlake Boulevard.
The Five-Mile-Per-Hour Collision
Venus was driving her 2010 Toyota Sequoia. Big car. She was pulling out of her neighborhood, Steeplechase, trying to cross a massive six-lane highway.
Here is where the "he-said-she-said" started.
Initially, police reports suggested Venus had violated the right of way. They basically said she jumped the gun and pulled out when she shouldn't have. But the reality was way more "kinda" complicated than that.
Venus entered the intersection on a green light. That’s a fact confirmed by surveillance video later. But as she was crossing, a dark Nissan Altima—a car that wasn't even involved in the final crash—cut her off by making a left turn. This forced Venus to slam on her brakes.
Now she’s stuck.
Her giant SUV is sitting smack in the middle of the intersection. The light for the cross-traffic—where Jerome and Linda Barson were driving their Hyundai Accent—turned green.
Linda Barson didn't see the Sequoia in time. Or maybe she expected it to clear. Either way, the Barsons' car T-boned Venus at about 40 mph. Venus was barely moving, maybe 5 mph, trying to get out of the way.
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The Fallout and the Investigation
Jerome Barson was 78. He was in the passenger seat. The impact was brutal. He suffered massive internal injuries, including a fractured spine and severed arteries. He hung on for two weeks in the ICU but passed away on his wife's 68th birthday.
It’s heartbreaking.
Because of that tragedy, the Barson family filed a wrongful death lawsuit almost immediately. They blamed Venus's negligence. For a while, the public narrative was that the tennis star had just been careless.
But then the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department did a total 180.
They got their hands on video from a nearby security camera. It showed exactly what Venus had claimed: she entered legally, got trapped by a third car, and was basically a "sitting duck."
By December 2017, the police officially cleared her. No criminal charges. No citations. They concluded that she hadn't broken any laws. They also didn't charge Linda Barson. It was just a "perfect storm" of bad timing and a jerk in a Nissan who drove off without a scratch.
The Lawsuit That Didn't Go to Trial
Even though the cops cleared her, civil law is a different beast. The Barson family kept pushing the lawsuit.
Lawyers for Venus argued that the Barsons weren't wearing seatbelts. They even tried to say the family hadn't maintained their car properly. It got a bit ugly, as these things usually do when millions of dollars are on the line.
The Barsons' legal team fired back. They used the car's "black box" data to prove they were buckled in.
Venus actually broke down in tears during a Wimbledon press conference that year when a reporter asked about it. She’s a person, after all. "There are no words to describe how devastating and—yeah. I’m completely speechless," she said before walking out.
Ultimately, they settled.
In November 2018, court records showed the case was closed. We don't know the number. The settlement amount was kept strictly confidential. Most of these high-profile celebrity cases end this way because neither side wants a jury trial where things can get unpredictable.
Why This Case Still Matters for Drivers
Most people think if they have a green light, they’re 100% in the right. This case proved that’s not always true.
Florida law actually says you have to make sure the intersection is clear before you go, even if your light is green. It’s a nuance that almost nobody thinks about when they’re rushing to the grocery store.
Also, it highlights the "third-party" danger. That Nissan Altima caused the whole chain of events by cutting Venus off, yet they weren't even part of the legal mess afterward.
What to Do If You're in a Similar Situation
If you ever find yourself in a legal gray area after an accident, keep these things in mind:
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- Check for Cameras Immediately: Venus was only cleared because of a community security camera. If you're in an accident, look for Ring doorbells or dashcams nearby.
- Black Box Data is King: Modern cars record speed, braking, and seatbelt usage. This data usually trumps witness testimony.
- Stay in the Intersection (If Safe): If you're trapped like Venus was, don't panic-accelerate.
- Understand No-Fault Laws: In states like Florida, your own insurance usually pays for your medical bills first, regardless of who caused it. This is why wrongful death suits are often the only way families can seek further compensation.
The Venus Williams car accident wasn't a case of a celebrity getting away with something. It was a tragic, technical series of events where the law and the video evidence eventually caught up to the initial assumptions. It's a reminder that on the road, things can change in a split second, even when you're doing everything right.