February 23, 2021
LOS ANGELES, California—Asian-American pro-golfer Tiger Woods suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries and underwent hours of surgery Tuesday after a single-vehicle crash on a steep roadway in a Los Angeles suburb, according to ESPN.
The crash required Woods, 45, to be extricated from his heavily damaged vehicle, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
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ESPN’s sources said that Woods has crush injuries of both lower legs, including a compound fracture of his right tibia and fibula and a shattered ankle. A crush injury occurs when a heavy object puts pressure onto a body part. He had surgery at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.
In a news conference later Tuesday, Alex Villanueva of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Woods was conscious and able to communicate with officials who arrived on the scene at approximately 7:18 a.m. PT in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, after they received a 911 call from a neighbor near the crash. L.A. County Fire Department’s fire chief Daryl Osby said Woods was in serious but stable condition upon arrival.
Authorities said there was no immediate evidence that Woods was impaired. They checked for odor of alcohol or other signs that he was under the influence of a substance, but did not find any.
The single-vehicle rollover occurred on the border of Rolling Hills Estates and Rancho Palos Verdes, about 30 miles south of downtown Los Angeles. The two-lane road curves through upscale suburbs, and the northbound side that Woods was driving on descends steeply enough that signs warn trucks to use lower gears. The speed limit is 45 mph.
According to Villanueva, Woods’ vehicle, a midsize SUV (2021 Genesis), appeared to first make contact with the median, then went across the two southbound lanes. He hit a curb, hit trees and rolled over several times, with the vehicle ultimately settling several hundred feet from the road. There were no skid marks and no evidence of braking, and weather was not a factor, per Villanueva. They did not say how fast he was driving, and he was wearing a seatbelt, reported ESPN.
Osby said a pry bar and ax were used to remove the SUV’s windshield and pull Woods to safety. The sheriff’s department had said earlier Tuesday that the Jaws of Life were used, but officials later said that was not the case.
The airbags deployed, and the inside of the car stayed basically intact, and that “gave him a cushion to survive the crash,” Villanueva said.
Deputy Carlos Gonzalez, who first arrived on the scene, said he sometimes catches people topping 80 mph in the 45 mph zone and that crashes are common there.
“I will say that it’s very fortunate that Mr. Woods was able to come out of this alive,” Gonzalez said.
Feature Images via WSJ & Golf Week