Venus Williams Files For Emergency Court Order
Venus Williams was granted an emergency court order Wednesday following a lawsuit launched by the family of the victim in last week's fatal car accident caused by the athlete, according to ABC News.
The news outlet acquired documents of Williams' request to halt from further investigation of victim Jerome Barson's vehicle by the family. The inspection will resume once the court can confirm "proper collection" is underway.
Read: Venus Williams Breaks Down Discussing Fatal Car Crash During Press Conference At Wimbledon
The Palm Beach County, Florida court system granted the Williams' request. E! reported Thursday that while the Barson family is interested in examining both vehicles involved in the accident, the approved court order claimed that "no party should be allowed" to examine the vehicles.
"The on-board data of both vehicles will be critical evidence," the documents stated. "Issues have been known to arise when a vehicle's data is downloaded. These issues included, but not limited to, the unintentional loss of the data. For that reason, no party should be allowed to inspect the vehicles until all parties can be present with their experts and this Court issues a procedure for collecting the vehicles' data."
Williams has not been charged with any crimes to date, but she faces a potential lawsuit from the Barson family. Although she will most likely not receive jail time, the lawsuit placed against her by the Barsons' daughter makes claims for wrongful death while requesting roughly $15,000 in damages, according to ABC News. However, police are still analyzing details around the car accident.
Williams received a bit a leeway with the emergency court order, but the legal battle continued to grow more complicated because of the unreleased video footage. TMZ reported Thursday that police aren't willingly unveiling the car accident footage. The footage was reportedly obtained from a security video outside of Williams' gated community.
Read: Venus Williams Net Worth As Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed Against Tennis Player In Florida Car Crash
Williams claimed that she had a green light and was traveling cautiously through the intersection, whereas the Barson family asserted that she sped through a red light. Likewise, the two conflicting stories won't be proven valid until the video footage is released. The Barsons made previous requests to the police for the video footage, but TMZ noted that they've been told it might be released "next week."
The accident was reportedly caused June 9 in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. The tennis player's car collided with the 78-year-old victim's vehicle in an intersection as both cars approached the intersection at the same time. According to E!, Jerome Barson — who was a passenger during the accident — reportedly died two weeks after the incident following a stint in the ICU from injuries he suffered in the crash. His wife, Linda Barson, was in the driver's seat of their now crushed 2016 Hyundai Accent at the time of the accident.
Sports Illustrated noted last week that police alleged that witnesses saw Williams driving her 2010 Toyota Sequoia SUV through a red light at the intersection. Williams was stuck in the intersection at an inopportune time, causing a conflicted reaction from the Barsons when they ultimately collided.
Williams shared that she was "devastated" about the car accident through a statement she made July 1 on Facebook.
"I am devastated and heartbroken by this accident," Williams wrote. "My heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends of Jerome Barson and I continue to keep them in my thoughts and prayers."
Venus Williams, pictured June 4, 2017 during day eight of the French Open in Paris, the athlete's fatal car accident continues to grow complicated. Photo: Getty Images
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