Treat Williams’ daughter has said she feels ‘absolutely shattered’ by his death after his motorcycle hit an SUV – while cops said the driver involved was not drunk.
Ellie Williams, 25, has shared a grief-stricken message on Instagram alongside an old picture of her father and a close-up of his name emblazoned on a bomber jacket.
It comes after Vermont State Police detectives confirmed driver Ryan Koss was not drunk at the time of the horror crash.
Ellie, the only daughter of the 71-year-old Golden Globe nominated actor and his wife Pam Van Sant, described her ‘terrible heartbreak’ in the wake of his death.
She wrote: ‘This is a pain I have never felt. I am absolutely shattered. Thank you to everyone who has sent messages and kept our family in your hearts during this terrible heartbreak.’
Meanwhile, Vermont State Police gave an update to press on Tuesday as the force continues to investigate what happened.
Lieutenant Steven Coote said investigators have not yet made ‘a formal determination’ on who is to blame for the crash, according to the Boston Globe.
He added that Koss, 35, who is from Pownal in the south-western corner of Vermont, was screened and cops ‘determined there wasn’t any evidence of impairment’.
The 2008 Honda Element driver was also ‘checked by medical personnel at the scene for minor injuries’, and he did not need hospital treatment.
Coote added that detectives have ‘utilized tools and technology’ including a drone flight, as well as ‘old-fashioned crash investigation stuff’ like on-scene photographs in the investigation.
He told reporters he could not provide an ‘exact timeframe’ for when the probe is likely to conclude, but he hopes ‘to have some more answers soon’.
Police previously said in a report that Williams would not have been able to avoid the collision.
Following the fatal crash, Koss’ car had major damage to the front end passenger side, while William’s 1986 Honda VT700c motorcycle had ‘front-end damage’.
The Everwood actor had been riding his $3,500 bike when he was hit by Koss’ vehicle as it cut across the northbound lane of Route 30 in the Morse Hill Road area of Dorset, south-west Vermont.
Williams, who was wearing a helmet at the time, was treated at the scene by paramedics before being rushed via helicopter to Albany Medical Center in New York, where he was pronounced dead.
Data collected by the Vermont Agency of Transportation revealed that there have been just five incidents on that stretch of road in 12 years, with three resulting in injury but only Williams being pronounced dead.
Members of the Vermont State Police Crash Reconstruction Team remain on the scene to try to piece together the lead up to the accident.
Williams, best known for his roles in Everwood and Hair, was enjoying his weekend mowing the lawn at his $1million Vermont home just hours before the tragedy.
He was married to actress Pam Van Sant, and together they had two children, Gille and Ellie – and often shared his idyllic country life for his fans on social media.
Treat Williams was born 1951 in Rowayton, Connecticut, and kickstarted his professional acting career in his 20s after graduating from Franklin and Marshall College.
Williams shot to fame after his debut role in the thriller Deadly Hero in 1975. He also performed in 1976’s The Ritz and The Eagle Has Landed.
In 1979, he starred as George Berger in the film Hair, which was based on the Broadway musical.
It was the role which earned him his first Golden Globe nomination for New Star of the Year – and two years later, he got his second nomination for his acting in Prince of The City.
He also played Dr. Andrew Brown in Everwood – and he received two SAG Award nominations for his work on the show.
In a social media post from just seven hours ago, Williams shared a snap of his land with the caption: ‘Mowing today. Wish I could bottle the scent.’
And two hours before the news of his death came to light, he recorded himself mowing the ground, writing: ‘What a real Vermonter does.’
Any witnesses to the crash or those with information about the incident are asked to call the Vermont State Police Shaftsbury Barracks at 802-442-5421 or leave an anonymous tip online at https://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.
