Tiger Woods suffered serious injuries to both his legs after a single-vehicle rollover crash Tuesday morning near Los Angeles.
Woods was conscious when deputies arrived on the scene in Rancho Palos Verdes, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said at a news conference on Tuesday.
Our live coverage has ended, but here’s what we know about the crash:
- The crash: Woods’ 2021 Genesis was going downhill on a winding road and crossed the median before crashing into curb and overturning into brush. Neighbors called 911 about the crash at 7:12 a.m. local time. “We have to assume they made that call almost immediately, as soon as it happened, because the neighbors are sitting right within 50 feet of the location,” Villanueva said.
- Woods’ injuries: Woods’ injuries were not life-threatening. “He was able to communicate, and he was conscious,” the sheriff said. Both legs were injured, according to L.A. County Fire Chief Daryl Osby. Deputy Carlos Gonzalez, the first responder at the scene, said Woods “was not able to stand on his own power.”
- The investigation: The airbags in the vehicle deployed, and Woods was wearing a seat belt. The sheriff said this likely saved his life. It appears that Woods’ vehicle was “going at a relatively greater speed than normal,” Villanueva said, adding that there were “no skid marks, no braking.” The sheriff said there were no signs of impairment, but tests are being conducted.
Woods was not able to stand on his own, but was “lucid and calm,” deputy says
Carlos Gonzalez, the Los Angeles sheriff’s deputy who first arrived at the scene of Tiger Woods’ crash, said Woods was not able to stand on his own, but he was “lucid and calm.”
Gonzalez said Woods was in the driver’s seat. Because of his condition, Gonzalez said he determined that it would be safer to wait for the fire department to arrive instead of trying to remove Woods from the car himself.
“I asked what his name was, he told me his name was Tiger. And at that moment I immediately recognized him. I asked him if he knew where he was, what time of day, to make sure he was oriented. He seemed as though he was lucid and calm,” Gonzalez said.
He said that he saw that Woods was hurt, but he wasn’t surprised by his behavior.
“He didn’t seem concerned about his injuries at the time, which is not uncommon in traffic collisions. Many times people tend to be in shock. It’s a traumatic experience. It’s not uncommon for people to be focused on unimportant things or even if they are in pain, they may not feel it until much later,” Gonzalez said.
Woods was traveling at high rate of speed, sheriff says
Tiger Woods’ car accident occurred on a stretch of road known for high speeds and prone to crashes, L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said a news conference Tuesday.
“At the time it [Woods’ SUV] crossed the center divider, to the point that it rested, was several hundred feet away, so obviously that indicates they were going at a relatively greater speed than normal,” Villanueva said.
“Because it is downhill, it slopes, and also it curves. That area has a high frequency of accidents. It’s not uncommon,” the sheriff added.
The vehicle being driven by the golfing legend crossed the center divider and rolled over multiple times before coming to rest in the brush.
Law enforcement officials said there is no indication the 45-year-old made any attempt to slow his Genesis SUV prior to the incident.
“No skid marks, no braking,” Villanueva said, adding that “the first contact was with the center median, from there then crossed into the opposing lane of traffic, hit the curb, hit a tree, and there were several rollovers during that process.”
Interior of Woods’ car acted as a cushion to what “otherwise would have been a fatal crash,” sheriff says
The interior of Tiger Woods’ car acted as a “cushion to survive what otherwise would have been a fatal crash,” Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said about today’s crash.
“The interior, the cabinet of the vehicle was more or less intact. The front end was totally destroyed, the bumpers, everything totally destroyed, airbags deployed, all of that. However, thankfully the interior was more or less intact, which kind of gave him the cushion to survive what otherwise would have been a fatal crash,” he said.
Villanueva said that Woods was wearing a seat belt.
He said from their investigation so far, the vehicle crashed into the center median and hit two signs before coming to rest in the brush
Read More: CNN