Tiger Woods is on the mend.
The 45-year-old golf pro was rushed into emergency surgery following a serious car crash that left him with significant damage to his right leg and ankle, a statement shared on his Twitter account.
“He is currently awake, responsive, and recovering in his hospital room,” the statement read.
“Mr. Woods suffered significant orthopaedic injuries to his right lower extremity that were treated during emergency surgery by Orthopaedic trauma specialists at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, a level 1 trauma center,” Dr. Anish Mahajan, the Chief Medical Officer at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center said in the statement.
The doctor also included additional details about the surgical procedure, “Comminuted open fractures affecting both the upper and lower portions of the tibia and fibula bones were stabilized by inserting a rod into the tibia. Additional injuries to the bones of the foot and ankle were stabilized with a combination of screws and pins. Trauma to the muscle and soft-tissue of the leg required surgical release of the covering of the muscles to relieve pressure due to swelling.”
Authorities in a press conference on Tuesday shared that Tiger was “calm and lucid” when authorities reported to the site of his single-vehicle rollover collision.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Carlos Gonzalez, who was first to arrive at the scene, told reporters that he was conscious and able to communicate.
“I asked him what his name was. He told me his name was Tiger, and at that moment I immediately recognized him,” Gonzalez shared. “I asked him if he knew where he was, what time of day, just to make sure he was oriented. He seemed as though he was lucid and calm.”
When asked about Woods‘ reaction to his injuries, Gonzalez said, “He didn’t seem concerned of 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, so it’s not uncommon for people to be focused on unimportant things, or, even if they are in pain, they might not feel it until much later.”
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva additionally shared that deputies “did not see any evidence of impairment” from Woods.
Woods was behind the wheel of a 2021 Genesis SUV near the intersection of Hawthorne Blvd. and Palos Verdes Dr. North in Rolling Hills Estates, Calif., on Tuesday morning when the crash occurred, according to authorities.
Sheriff Villanueva said there were “no skid marks, no breaking.” He explained the chain of events: “Apparently, the first contact was with the center median, and from there, [the car] then crossed through the opposing lane of traffic, hit the curb, hit a tree, and there were several rollovers during that process.”
“At the time, it crossed the center divider to the point that it rested was several hundred feet away, so obviously that indicates [the car] was going at a relatively greater speed than normal,” he responded when asked about the possibility that Woods’ car was traveling over the speed limit. “However, because it is downhill, it slopes and it also curves, that area has a high frequency of accidents. It is not uncommon.”
Villanueva said that Woods’ vehicle was greatly damaged from the crash.
“The front end was totally destroyed. The bumpers, everything was destroyed, airbags deployed, all of that. However, the interior was more or less intact, which kind of gave him the cushion to survive what otherwise would’ve been a fatal crash,” he shared.
Deputy Gonzalez echoed this, adding, “The nature of his vehicle, the fact that he was wearing a seatbelt, I would say that it greatly increased the likelihood that it saved his life.” He also noted that he’s seen fatal crashes on that same road, adding, “It’s very fortunate that Mr. Woods was able to come out of this alive.”
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