LOS ANGELES – Tiger Woods was lucky to survive a major car crash yesterday that caused “serious” leg injuries, said California officials, who found the US golf legend conscious after the accident.
“He was able to communicate. He was conscious,” said Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, adding that Woods was in “serious condition as a result of the accident.”
Villanueva also said “there is so far no evidence” that the US golf legend was impaired during the incident which his car fly off the road near Los Angeles.
He told a press conference there was “no evidence of impairment at this point in time.”
He added that no blood was drawn at the scene of the crash because the sheriff’s office does not have that capability.
A deputy from the Los Angeles County sheriff’s office, Carlos Gonzalez, said it was “very fortunate that Mr. Woods was able to come out of this alive.”
The car’s sole occupant, Woods was removed from the wreckage by firefighters and paramedics via the windshield before being taken to a local hospital for treatment.
The crash occurred near the hilly Palos Verdes peninsula, at the bottom of a steep stretch of road which has runaway truck ramps for vehicles that lose control going downhill, and which is notorious for numerous fatal accidents over the years.
The car could be seen lying on its side on a patch of grass some distance off the road, with its hood badly damaged, having apparently flipped over several times.
Woods, one of the most successful golfers of all time, has won 15 major golf championships.
He recently underwent his fifth back surgery, and said he was uncertain if he will be able to play at the upcoming Masters, which he last won in 2019. – AFP, February 24, 2021
