Venus Williams, the seven-time Slam champion, has found herself in the middle of a really terrible series of events. Venus and Serena Williams both live in Florida, although I don’t think they live together anymore. In early June, Venus was driving near her home in Palm Beach Gardens when she was involved in a car accident. There are contradictory stories about exactly what happened, but the accident left two people gravely injured, and one of those people, a man named Jerome Barson, died from his injuries after a two-week hospitalization. Sources claim that Venus was “cited” as causing the accident, but from what I can tell, she actually didn’t receive any kind of police citation whatsoever. Mr. Barson’s widow – the driver of the car – is now suing Venus.
A police report says that Venus Williams is responsible for a car accident earlier this month in Florida, which caused injuries to a 78-year-old man who later died. The Palm Beach Gardens Police report states the accident occurred on June 9 in Palm Beach Gardens and the victim, Jerome Barson, was a passenger in a car that was driven by his wife, Linda Barson. The victim’s family has since filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Williams, alleging negligence.
According to the suit, the impact of the crash caused damage to both vehicles. The Barsons’ 2016 Hyundai Accent was “crushed, the front windshield shattered, the airbags deployed, there was crush damage to the rear on the driver’s side, and the back window was shattered.” Williams’ 2010 Toyota Sequoia “was also severely damaged,” the suit says.
The lawsuit states that Jerome Barson’s injuries included “severed main arteries, massive internal bleeding, a fractured spine, and massive internal organ damage.” He was in the ICU when he died on June 22, which, the lawsuit says, was Linda Barson’s 68th birthday. His wife’s injuries included, per the lawsuit, a cracked sternum and shattered right arm. She also broke her right wrist, hand and several fingers. According to the police report, Linda Barson told police she was traveling west in the right lane and approaching an intersection, slowing for a traffic light. According to the report, the light changed to green, and Barson said she drove through the intersection when Williams’ 2010 Toyota Sequoia cut across in front of her car. Linda Barson said she was unable to avoid crashing into Williams.
Williams, according to the report, told police she was stopped in the median of the intersection because of other traffic. Williams also said she did not see the Barsons’ car when she crossed the intersection. The report says Williams was driving an estimated speed of 5 mph.
“(Williams) is at fault for violating the right of way of (the Barsons),” the report said. There is no mention in the report of Williams being cited. Jerome Barson was taken to a hospital and died two weeks later. Barson’s wife was also hospitalized but survived.
“Mrs. Barson is suffering intense grief and doesn’t know how she will go on,” said Michael Steinger, Linda Barson’s attorney. “Her husband of 35 years was struck by Venus Williams, who was at fault in a car accident, which ultimately resulted in Mr. Barson being hospitalized 14 days with multiple surgeries which resulted in his death.”
Williams’ attorney Malcolm Cunningham, in a statement to CNN, said: “Ms. Williams entered the intersection on a green light. The police report estimates that Ms. Williams was traveling at 5 mph when Mrs. Barson crashed into her. Authorities did not issue Ms. Williams with any citations or traffic violations. This is an unfortunate accident and Venus expresses her deepest condolences to the family who lost a loved one.”
It feels like both versions of the accident could have some truth? Like, Venus could have caught a green light or a yellow light and still could have ended up short-stopped in the middle of an intersection because of traffic, and that’s how the Barsons’ car hit her. I don’t like the way outlets keep saying that Venus was “cited” as the one at fault when it sounds like she didn’t receive any police citations at all. It’s an accident, and a deadly one at that. My guess is that Venus and her lawyers are already trying to figure out a way to settle this out of court. Venus did make a personal statement on her Facebook, writing: “I am devastated and heartbroken by this accident. My heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends of Jerome Barson and I continue to keep them in my thoughts and prayers.” She’s still in the draw at Wimbledon and she will be in London for however long she can win.
Photos courtesy of WENN and Pacific Coast News.
Williams was driving an estimated 5 mph? Did Ms. Barson check her intersection before proceeding? Because you’re supposed to, and it doesn’t sound like she did.
I wonder if 5mph is a typo? I cant see why Venus would be held solely to blame for this. The Bensons were clearly absent minded.
I do not get this too. 5 mph and such severe injuries? Sounds like the lady did not check traffic and did not choose the right/save speed or they were not wearing seatbelts. Or a mix of those. It is terrible that someone is dead but looks to me like this is an attempt to blame your own mistake (which happen in traffic) on someone else
The old people had the light but not common sense. The old woman ran into Venus but Venus should not have been in the intersection at all.
Therefore no matter how slow Venus was going she was wrong .
Usually people let someone in the intersection just go to avoid a tragic ending like this.
The Barsons car was severely impacted. I saw the photos. Venus somehow darted ahead, which means she picked up speed. Supposedly, the Official Police Report blames Venus. If that’s true, Venus was guilty of some sort of negligence. Recently, a friend of mine hit a school bus from behind. The driver was not wearing a seat belt, flew through the windshield, and died. My friend is now doing 10 years jail time. Of course, Mrs. Barson sued, I would too. She has extensive injuries and her husband, regardless of his age, died. It will be interesting to see what happens.
I’d like to add the original statements of Mrs. Barson and Venus do not match. Granted, people are in shock after an accident. This is why you never say anything to the police when you are involved in an accident which involves injuries or death, without your attorney present. Anything you say to the police can be used against you. If you lie to the police, they will definitely use it against you. Venus will have the best attorneys, hopefully this will be settled out of court, quickly.
This is the exact accident that I had when I was 18. It was the only real accident I ever had. I was deemed to be at fault. In my case there was sun glare and I didn’t realize that I needed a turn arrow so I was creeping out into the intersection. I had a little sports car and the other driver had a big SUV. They didn’t see me, and their light was green; the husband smashed right into me. But It was my fault because I was somewhere I was not supposed to be- just like Venus. The wife (passenger) tried to sue me as well. My insurance took care of it I’m not really sure what happen with the case. Thank goodness in my case the woman only broke her arm and both vehicles were totaled.
The 5 mph are plausible assuming Venus got stuck in traffic in the intersection.
Mrs. Barson had her light turn green as she approached the intersection. Mrs. Barson was on the right lane, and there was at least one car in the middle lane. Thus, it might have been difficult for her to see Venus Williams’ car, and difficult for Venus to see the Barsons’ car.
Then, this is an older driver in Florida. Those don’t have a reputation of driving cautiously.
Venus was stopped before proceeding to turn, so the 5 mph is about right for her car. The damage to the Barsons’ car was because of Barson’s speed. It sounds like she never slowed as she approached the intersection, because she saw she had a green light. She t-boned Venus’s car, causing extensive damages to her own car.
Venus got cited as at fault because the person going straight has the right of way. But, if I were Venus, I’d get a forensic analysis of the speed, as Barson could have also been negligent if she was going too fast under the circumstances.
Sounds like both made a mistake. Happens all the time.
Thoughts with the decreased family but I hope they don’t get a lot of money.
Agreed. Condolences to the family but something tells me if an ordinary citizen had been involved in the crash and not Venus, the family would likely not be suing.
That’s what I’m saying. It’s funny to me that Mrs. Barson was the one driving, and yet she’s the one suing. And she just so happens to be suing a woman she knows is extremely wealthy.
With police reports, isn’t it mostly about who has the right of way in an intersection? In this case, Barson may have had the right of way. I don’t understand all the distinctions and hope to never have cause to, but they do exist.
That’s exactly why they’re suing. For sure.
It sounds as if the older couple were not wearing seatbelts. Tragic all around.
Perhaps,, and older people are more vulnerable to injury. Also was there a differential in car size?
Absolutely tragic.
The use of the word “accident” in the case of collisions on the road has always bugged me. There is no such thing as an accident when driving. One, or both/all, parties are always at fault.
Thats very true. An accident is when someone has a heart attack or something breaks of a car. Just because something wasnt done on purpose doesnt mean it was an accident.
But isn’t that the definition of accident? Something unintentional.
How about sudden hail storms, wind gusts, things like that?
That’s comprehensive damage and completely different than a collision involving 1 or more parties.
Ah, thanks. I try not to think about insurance when I don’t have to.
No worries 🙂 It’s my job, so it sneaks into my off-hours as well. At least I get to be a sort-of expert on something, LOL.
We never heard how fast the elderly woman was driving. It’s hard to imagine that injuries that serious could result from one car largely idling at 5mph in an intersection, and the other car just accelerating in order to move into the intersection. Something seems fishy to me about the woman’s account. She must’ve been speeding. Frankly, very elderly drivers are almost as bad as teens (the insurance risk tables demonstrate that, in fact). It’s definitely a terrible thing and I can’t imagine losing a spouse of 35 years, but something isn’t being told on the other side.
I just read that elderly drivers have more “accidents” than teens, though I don’t know if I’d call 68 “elderly.”
I lived in Florida for more than 25 years, and I’m inclined to agree. But the teens in my new neighborhood up north are VERY fast and aggressive. Want to slap these parents for giving their ungrateful kids killing machines and letting them loose.
(Also, retiring in FL seems to quickly turn people into entitled, oblivious, stingy crabs. Doesn’t matter if they’re 55 or 85.)
Older driver statistics: IIRC they put in fewer hours driving but in those hours are more likely to have problems. So that absolute figures don’t look like they have more accidents, but the numbers relative to their driving time do. They’re also more fragile and more likely to suffer serious injuries in a crash from which a younger person might walk away.
At 68, the driver was no “elderly” but she might have been more careful moving into the intersection. Her vision might have been limited by other cars and by a vision condition. And Williams might have been better off not trying to beat the light and waiting for a clear intersection.
Speed limit is 50 mph before the intersection, and 55 mph after the intersection. Presumably she was going a bit faster than that, slowed down a bit for the red light, and then accelerated again.
All sympathy with Venus. I’ve done the same — with no police around, heavy traffic (going perpendicular to you) can block and re-block the intersection time after time, light cycle after light cycle. I think I’ve been able to reconstruct this accident in my head, but maybe a better diagram and any witness accounts are being withheld.
Luna–Lovely. You have no sympathy for the victim of the accident or his family? This was a tragic thing, a life was lost. But “all” your sympathy goes out to Venus? Okay, nothing weird there…
Really? No sympathy for the family that lost a loved one?
I caused a major accident once because I misread a signal, so I can understand how she feels. I was fortunate that nobody died or was seriously injured, but it was BAD. To this day, I feel guilty about it. I think it would be fair enough for her to cover the medical bills at the least if she held the main responsibility for the accident.
(This being said, I’m not surprised it was bad – people in Florida speed way too much. I would not want to live down there full time.)
I’m a little confused on the facts but it seems like Venus went on green. Since traffic was moving so slowly she either was stuck in the intersection or tried move to another lane to try to get out of the way. It seems the older woman either didn’t see Venus or wasn’t paying attention and crashed into her. Sorry for the death and injuries but I don’t think think Venus should be blamed/villainized. She didn’t do anything like being reckless or driving under the influence. It’s happened to me that I was trapped in the intersection on a green light and couldn’t move. I hope these people don’t get millions. I don’t they would have sued if this was a poor person. Except for maybe hospital, funeral, car bills if not covered.
Yeah, this sounds like one of those situations where right of way laws dictate that one party was *technically* at fault, but the accident still wouldn’t have happened if the other party had been paying attention.
Well, from the comments here, no one wants to entertain the idea that Venus could possibly be at fault.
She should be blamed if she was at fault for the accident. Blaming the victims is never a good look. That doesn’t mean that Venus is a bad person but there are traffic laws for a reason, mostly for people’s safety.
” Linda Barson said she was unable to avoid crashing into Williams.”
and
” Her husband of 35 years was struck by Venus Williams, who was at fault…”
Mrs Barson admits to crashing into VW’s car, so how did VW strike Mr Barson? What am I missing?
What a terrible and very sad situation.
MY heart goes out to the deceased and his wife. I really don’t know what to make of this as if I am to be totally honest , I have been stuck in an intersection more than once sometime you enter on green but traffic is so bad the light goes from Amber to red before you can get out., which explains why Venus ‘s car was traveling so slowly . I have also all seen drivers hog the intersection whereby you who has the right of way has to wait for several light changes before you can proceed andi have seen aggressiveness on both sides when this happens
With regards to the other driver this is where sometimes defensive driving can help one may have the right of way but still need to proceed with caution ( or maybe she just did not see her dunno ) it doesn’t tell thier speed but based on the extent of the damage they were probably not driving slowly
Technically though regardless of the circumstances once Venus was in thier line of traffic and they had the right away she would be cited as at fault even if there was contributory negligence on thier part
“I have been stuck in an intersection more than once sometime you enter on green but traffic is so bad the light goes from Amber to red before you can get out.”
Green, yellow or red, you’re not supposed to enter an intersection at all if you will be blocking it. Sadly, I’ve seen it is female drivers who either don’t seem to know this or don’t seem to care, far, far more than males; and those that don’t, seem to get belligerent about being called out for their transgression, which is very peculiar.
Maybe the laws vary in different places but this is not the case where I live. In Ontario, and across Canada as far as I know, you may pull forward while waiting to turn left on a green light. Stay in line with your lane and keep your wheels pointing forward (not left) in case you are hit from behind so you don’t go into oncoming traffic or pedestrians, then proceed when it is safe. Typically in Canada people stop on yellows/early reds so you will then have time to go through before opposing light turns green. However, if you don’t have time, you are considered active in the intersection and you have right of way to go before the fresh line of cars from the opposing direction gets started. This is totally normal and everyone will let you go, without a single honk.
Understandably this approach wouldn’t work in places like the Palm Springs area, which we visit often, where at least a few cars always race through after their light has turned red. Not sure if all of the US is like this, hope not! WTF is up with that? Recipe for disaster.
You speak as if
1)you are familiar with all the traffic intersections and traffic flows in the world and
2) you wanted to take my statement Out of context and jump on to whatever soapbox you wanted to go on re female drivers ?
Yes you are never to enter an intersection if you are going to block it even if you have the green , there are however times as I stated when one may enter on green thinking that you will be able to cross in time and you get stuck not that it’s right but it happens , incidentally whenever I have sat in my car through several green light changes at a congested intersection because I realize I won’t make it across in time and block traffic , the bulk of the people honking behind me to move are usually men go figure
LIke I said regardless of the circumstances the person stuck in the intersection blocking some ones right of way is technically at fault . But one could also argue l that just because you have the right of way does not obviate the need for you to proceed with caution at an intersection or make sure it’s clear.u
Day after Christmas last year I was involved in a very bad car accident. I took it very hard. Thankfully everyone involved lived. Today,I can’t freely drive with someone in the car with me without getting flashbacks. I get these intense what ifs. It’s a struggle and it’s very tricky because I’m in the EMS and I have to treat and transport patients rapidly. it’s an everyday thing,working on being better. I just want to get past this and be my old self again.
and to Venus, be strong. Allow yourself to feel. What happened was truly terrible and I hope you’ll be alright sooner. It is just terrible.
♥
So, the widow doesn’t ‘know how she’ll go on?I’d bet that with all the money she’s trying to get out of Venus she’ll figure it out.
what a terrible thing to say. but I guess you already know that!
Seriously. But trolls are gonna troll.
Sounds like the widow hit Venus and that impact is what killed the guy. An just because Venus was in the intersection, they’re going to blame her? You have to LOOK where you’re driving! You cant just plow into any other vehicle and claim its their fault cos “they were in your way”– thats not how it works.
If Venus violated their right of way by entering an intersection she couldn’t clear and they took evasive action by hitting the brakes or trying to steer out of the way, then this is exactly how this works. Perhaps not 100% on Venus but some portion? Yes.
Yes, they are. Because she is the one at fault if she failed to yield the right of way. Good lord, people, it’s time to refresh your knowledge of traffic laws.
EOA: FYI –
http://www.nolo.com/dictionary/last-clear-chance-term.html
I’m very sorry for all involved here, especially the poor man who suffered and passed away. I hope whatever decisions are made are fair, as it doesn’t sound as clear cut as the headlines were originally suggesting. To me it sounds like Venus got stuck in the intersection as the light changed, and the other car came through, possibly without making sure the intersection was clear. It’s also misleading that the other driver is saying they were struck by Venus, when clearly it was their car who hit hers.
So many people run red lights around here, and at top speed too, that I never jump on the gas when the light turns green anymore. I always pause and check to be sure no one is barrelling through the light.
It was a t bone. Venus’s car the top line of the t. So she was moving across the intersection on red. Meaning, if they were looking forward in their lane, they may not have seen her coming across. I don’t think she had any business being in that intersection, let alone her car still moving while opposing traffic had a green. I feel for Venus. I’ve been driving 17 years and have done my share of boneheaded things. It’s your worst nightmare. But, doesn’t mean she wasn’t at fault. Really sounding like she was.
Anyone else surprised she is driving a 2010 sequoia?
I think that’s kind of cool. I read it like she uses her money wisely.
With all of that money she could be flossing a luxury car.
Yes, that was what stood out to me too lol. I was waiting to read a Bentley crushed their car … but nope.
I am an insurance adjuster, and I haven’t read the full statements or seen photos of Venus’s car but have seen photos of the other party’s car and a scene diagram.
This is my educated guess as to what happened: Venus was in traffic and was caught up ahead of the stop line on green–and her green turned red. The other party’s light turned green. They saw the light turn green and entered the intersection. Meanwhile Venus doesn’t see them, realizes she is hanging out into the intersection, and decides to cut across and clear the intersection. She starts moving–which is how she could have been going 5 mph and gaining speed–and the other party realizes there is someone crossing their lane too late to slow down. Happens every day, right? Except that Venus is driving a TANK of an SUV and the other is driving a compact/intermediate sized Hyundai, and the other parties are older and more prone to serious injury. As soon as the Hyundai hit the Sequoia, the car came to a near immediate stop but the occupants did not. They hit the airbags with a lot of force, hence the injuries.
If my theory is correct, Venus bears the majority of the fault in this case because she was in that intersection when she did not have the right of way. You could maybe stick a little bit of liability on the other party for poor lookout, but not very much because they did have the green.
However, Florida is an interesting insurance state for two reasons: 1) with regards to liability, it’s comparative negligence, which means that if Venus were, for example, 80% at fault, then she is financially 80% responsible for the cost of all of the damages–damage to vehicles, bodily injury, any other damages such as damages to curbs/streetlamps/lights–from the accident. The other party would be 20% at fault and would pick up the other 20% of the costs.
2) Florida is one of the only states in the USA that does not require people to carry bodily injury insurance unless you have otherwise been compelled to like by a judge or your insurance company. Venus probably carries liability insurance–she is a savvy businesswoman–but if she did not, there’s no mechanism in place for her insurance company to pay the other party for her share of the damages.
This suit is happening because a man died. My hope for Venus is that, being a savvy businesswoman–she has bodily injury and/or a personal umbrella liability policy worth a couple of million dollars that will cover this, and it will get settled out of court. Court trials involving deaths are awful for everyone involved but it’s not an uncommon action to take. We are only hearing about it because one of the parties involved is Venus Williams.
(After awhile you get a little hardened by seeing these accidents. When I was training, I once asked a co-worker, “When the claimant dies, but we are 70% at fault, do we just pay 70% of policy limits?” my co-worker replied, “Someone is dead? In that case, 70% of policy limits is policy limits.”)
That was really interesting. You know Florida law very well. Thank you.
Thank you for pointing out that a Sequoia is a tank. I personally feel these vehicles should have significantly higher rates because they are able to so easily kill people. I also think these tanks should be forced to down scale. Why should people who drive environmentally responsible cars, or are too poor to afford these tanks, have to fear being killed in a minor accident? Even fender benders leave cars like mine with major damage because of the discrepancy in fenders. They have a scratch and my car has massive damage.
I have a tank of an SUV myself, and I love it, but as my kids have gotten old enough to drive and sometimes borrow it, we’ve repeatedly gone over the differential in weight between it and a lot of the other cars on the road. They cause more damage when they are moving, and will not give way when something else hits them.
5 mph?! Were they wearing seatbelts? I call money grab, and a pretty blatant one at that.
If you saw the photos of the Barson’s severely impacted car, you would not think it was 5 mph.
No. Money grab would be suing for a dented fender. One person is dead, and his widow received devastating injuries on her own birthday. Is death acceptable and expected when you are driving within your own lane, through the intersection with a green light, and a gigantic tank unlawfully obstructs part of your driving space? Should the severely injured, grieving widow have taken the blame, and begged Venus’s forgiveness for having the gumption to obey traffic laws?
I’m with you. Someone ended up dead and another with a life changed forever. Call it a money grab if you want but I believe it is warranted.
Thanks for your thoughtful response, @mayamae.
If only everyone digested the facts before making comments — especially insensitive ones.
Hmm, if Venus’s car was moving at all within an intersection while the opposing traffic had a green light, Venus wasn’t where she was supposed to be and made a grave error pulling into an intersection she couldn’t clear. Traffic traveling with a green light, especially in busy fast moving areas, aren’t necessarily able to stop on a dime. They expect the right of way. Period.
I don’t know about this case, will see. But my aunt who lives in the states told me that there was a man who her son in law use to work with that made of this law suits his new profession. My aunt told me he earned a lot. His lawyer was his cousin and I think they specialized in that kind of stuff. As in, he would go in a supermarket and purposely slip inside (he would probably put a little water himself or stuff, I don’t know) and then sue. Usually they would ask to settle fast as to avoid lengthy battles. He did that everywhere he would go: restaurants food poisoning), bars, malls, doctors office, drive ways (I didn’t know that if you fall in someones drive ways you can sue the owner) airports, planes.
That’s how they catch him. He did a couple of numbers at an airport in New York and with a specific airline and took a LOT of money from them and they became suspicious and put a private detective after him. They revised all the CCTV and finally made a case against him. It turned out he was not an American citizen so they found a way to throw him out. Fun fact he had his last flight with that airline and he was escorted with two employees of the airline from New York to Europe till he change airlines. They were afraid he would find a way to sue again for some kind of damages.
You don’t get “caught” in an intersection unless you’re an asshole. People knowingly block an intersection instead of waiting until the way is clear. They then sit there uncaring while a whole green light passes with no one moving. It’s unacceptable.
This story is one of my worst fears. I drive a Civic because I feel it is environmentally responsible. Others prefer to drive gigantic machines unnecessary outside of war zones or ten children families. I have found that they are the more reckless and aggressive because they know smaller cars fear them. I currently live in the south, so there are tons of gigantic pickups with jacked up tires that could crush me.
I’m not sure why everyone here is giving Venus a pass. 1) you don’t block the intersection and 2) yellow doesn’t mean go. I always look when my light turns to make sure it’s clear because of careless people like Venus. When this was Catilyn Jenner, everyone here hung her out to dry.
Please forget for a moment that Venus is a celebrity because from the comments it seems that people think the older woman is only suing for this reason. My husband and I went to a concert in a big city and once there of course traffic was horrible. At a big intersection my husband thought he could make the light but of course he didn’t. Immediately a motorcycle cop pulled up on us and told us the fine for blocking intersections but that they were just giving people warnings that day. We apologized and thanked her but of course the people we were blocking were not so kind. Our light seemed like forever that we were blocking but finally we were able to move and the rest of that long road we made sure we could fit before going. This older woman may have been going faster than she should’ve when going in the intersection and not look when entering but Venus does have the greater responsibility for being where she should not be. I’m sure Venus will offer a generous settlement which may be more than many think the older woman deserves but that’s how traffic collisions go these days, it’s not always fair. Anything not covered by ins the at fault driver gets sued and so on, Venus just has more money than us regular folk. I feel bad for her, she must feel horrible.
Florida law is very clear on this point, and they even have a saying for it: “Don’t block the box.” This means you do NOT creep into the intersection and sit there, which is what Venus did, particularly since there are only about two seconds between one light turning red and the other green. Venus was blocking the intersection when she should have been waiting behind the intersection lines to turn, which is why the investigation found her at fault.
In the first account I saw of this, I thought I read that there was a 3rd vehicle involved which hit the Barsons’ car & pushed it into Venus’s car? Venus entered the intersection on a green light, got blocked & stopped, then moved forward 5 mph. Barsons came from the side, hit Venus but was there was another car that hit Barson from the back? Otherwise, I don’t understand how back of Barsons’ car got smashed when the front of their car hit Venus’s. Driving into a nearly stationary object (Venus’s car) doesn’t explain to me how Barsons’ car got smashed in both the front & back. Mr. Barson’s injuries & death are tragic. His airbag deployed. Was he wearing a seatbelt? If so, airbags didn’t do as much good as would be expected.
I’ve read nothing stating that a third car was involved. The report and accident diagram I saw just list the 2 vehicles and a witness account (https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/06/30/sports/tennis/30venus-crash/30venus-crash-blog427.jpg). The Hyundai was not smashed on the back end.
You can see large photos of the car at – http://www.eonline.com/news/864152/venus-williams-involved-in-deadly-car-crash-that-killed-78-year-old-man.
I’m all for careless drivers being sued. I live in Crashachusetts and the driving around here is atrocious. I drive defensively but I still have close calls all the time because of outright reckless drivers. I’m all for litigation making people feel the consequences of their actions.
That said, Venus was wrong, but it’s not the most reckless thing I’ve ever heard. It was just bad luck that she wound up in front of someone who wasn’t going through the green light from a dead halt. I’m sure she does feel horrible that someone was killed.
Stories like this are why I never cross an intersection if I can’t go line to line – no matter how loud the person behind me honks. If you can’t clear the intersection line to line don’t go in it – even in the best case you’re inconveniencing other drivers if you get stuck.
I doubt she’ll do jail time but she should pony up some cash even if it was the other driver that ran into her – she clearly wasn’t where she was supposed to be. Also that bit about how the husband died on the wife’s birthday is just awful.
In CA, you are not supposed to enter the intersection, even if your light turns green, while there is another car in there. Maybe because they know “2-3 on a red” is common due to lack of left signals. Perhaps Venus was using CA mindset, and Mrs Barson was using FL?
P.S. Don’t get me started on Retesting older drivers. Do you know the AARP has as strong a lobby as the NRA when it comes to squashing driver testing legislation?