Tiger Woods car accident: Golfer suffered shattered ankle after crashing Genesis SUV, police say
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“It’s very fortunate for Mr Woods to come out of this alive.”
That’s the latest from Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy Carlos Gonzalez, one of the first officers to arrive on the scene after golfer Tiger Woods wrecked his SUV outside of Los Angeles on Tuesday. He said the golfer was wearing his seatbelt, which might have saved his life, and appeared “calm and lucid.”
The PGA legend, who sustained “serious injuries to both legs” according to officials, was rushed to surgery at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center after his car hit a median and rolled end-over-end for about 100 feet until settling off the side of the road.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said during a press conference on Tuesday that there was “no evidence of impairment” at the scene of the incident.
“There was no evidence of impairment,” Mr Villanueva said during his remarks. “There was no effort to draw blood, for example, at the hospital.”
Sheriffs will investigate the incident for a variety of different causes and release their findings in a matter of days or weeks.
A second crash occurred after another driver had stopped to help Mr Woods, according to local officials. The wreck was minor and no one was hurt.
A slew of sporting figures, as well as former president Donald Trump, have become the first to publicly send their “prayers” and “thoughts” to Mr Woods, via social media, as he is treated in hospital.
- Tiger Woods undergoes surgery after California car crash
- Donald Trump and Lindsey Vonn among those sharing messages of support
- The highs and lows of Tiger Woods’ extraordinary career
- ‘I’m sick to my stomach’: Justin Thomas leads golf world’s reaction to crash
- Tiger Woods was driving $50,000 luxury SUV at time of crash
Two leg fractures and a broken ankle: more details on Tiger Woods’ injuries revealed
Tiger Woods has two leg fractures and a broken ankle, CNN and the Los Angeles Times are reporting, after crashing his car on Tuesday in Rancho Palos Verdes, outside of Los Angeles.
Watch: Tiger Woods and NBA star Dwayne Wade goof around day before crash
The day before Tiger Woods was critically injured after flipping his luxury Genesis SUV in a dramatic crash on Tuesday, the PGA legend golfed with retired NBA star Dwayne Wade in Southern California as part of a video shoot for Golf Digest and GOLFTV.
Mr Wade shared a video of the hang-out the day before the crash.
“How good am I?” Mr Wade asks the camera, as Mr Woods looks on from behind.
“Uh...good,” Mr Woods says reluctantly, with a laugh. “We’re getting better.”
Police investigate Tiger Woods crash footage
As Los Angeles police begin investigating the Tuesday morning car crash that sent Tiger Woods to the hospital for emergency surgery, video footage will play a significant role.
Investigators are looking at footage from nearby cameras to see if someone or something pulled in front of Mr Woods ahead of the crash, which totaled his luxury Genesis SUV and left him with major leg injuries, ESPN reported.
And some of the deputies who arrived on the scene were wearing body cameras. LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva told FOXLA the department would be “as transparent as legally possible” with the footage.
‘I don’t have time to be starstruck’: Deputy who rescued Woods shares details from crash
The first officer on the scene to interact with Tiger Woods shared new details on Tuesday afternoon about what it was like moments after the crash.
At first, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy Carlos Gonzalez didn’t recognize the PGA legend, who eventually responded to diagnostic questions and told him his name is Tiger.
“I still have a job to do,” the deputy said. “I don’t have time to be starstruck or thinking about the fact that he’s a celebrity. At the end of the day, Mr Woods is a human being like any one of us.”
The officer said the famed golfer remained calm as authorities began checking on him and his injuries, and asked them to call a member of his team using his cellphone, which was at the crash site. Still, the LASD deputy warned, his injuries could still be serious despite his low-key reaction to the crash.
“It can sometimes take minutes, hours, or days to realize what sort of trauma they’ve been through,” Mr Gonzalez said. “At the time, Mr Woods didn’t seem like he was in pain or discomfort, or he didn’t really seem as though he was in any sort of anguish.”
That’s all today for our rolling coverage of Tiger Woods’ car crash and recovery. Stay tuned with The Independent for all the latest news and analysis.
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