Tiger Woods has surgery on ‘multiple leg injuries’ after car crash

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Tiger Woods was undergoing surgery on Tuesday for non life- threatening injuries including a compound fracture and a shattered ankle after crashing his car en route to a Los Angeles golf course, to film for GolfTV. 

The 45-year-old golfer was driving alone near Rancho Palos Verdes when his Genesis GV80 crossed the central reservation and flipped over at 7.12am, rolling ‘several hundred feet’, according to Sheriff Alex Villanueva.

The first officer on the scene, Deputy Carlos Gonzalez, said he was ‘very fortunate to be alive’.

Woods was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. 

‘He was alive, he was conscious,’ said Villanueva, adding: ‘He was not able to get up. That was not an option.’

‘There was no evidence of impairment. There was no effort to draw blood or anything like that.’

Villanueva said he was traveling at ‘a greater speed than normal,’ but noted: ‘that area has a high frequency of accidents.’

He said the weather was not a factor.

He hit signs and ‘sheared’ a tree, Villanueva said. 

‘No skidmarks, no braking. Hit the curb, hit a tree, and there were several roll overs,’ he said. 

A neighbor called 911 and authorities were on the scene within six minutes, CNN reported. 

A second accident happened, when people slowed down to look. No one was injured in that second crash. 

Firefighters used a halligan tool to extricate Woods, freeing him from the car via the window.

They did not, contrary to their initial statement, use the ‘jaws of life’ to break open the car. 

Gonzalez, the first on scene, said Woods was not able to stand.

‘They put him onto a backboard. When I arrived on the scene Mr Woods was in the drivers seat. He was able to speak to me. He seemed calm and lucid. I kept Mr Woods calm until LA County fire department arrived on the scene.

‘He told me his name was Tiger, and at that point I immediately recognized him. He seemed lucid and calm.

‘He didn’t seem concerned about his injuries, which is common in car accidents. They may be in shock, and pain not felt until later.’

Gonzalez added: ‘He was injured. And he was successfully removed and taken to the hospital.’ 

Gonzalez reiterated that the particular stretch of road was ‘a hot spot for traffic collisions and speed’. 

‘The fact that he was stable enough to be taken to a hospital further away, which was the most appropriate one, shows he was not so severe that he needed to be taken to the nearest hospital,’ said Daryl Osby, the Los Angeles County fire chief. 

He was then taken to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center – the nearest hospital – where he is now undergoing surgery to correct ‘multiple injuries’ on his legs, his agent Mark Steinberg said in a statement shortly after the crash. 

‘Tiger Woods was in a single-car accident this morning in California where he suffered multiple leg injuries. 

‘He is currently in surgery and we thank you for your privacy and support,’ Steinberg said.  

Sources close to the golfer told DailyMail.com his injuries include a compound fracture and shattered ankle in one leg. He is undergoing surgery to put the pieces of his ankle back together, the source added. 

After initially refusing to give details on the severity of his injuries, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department said on Tuesday afternoon they were non-life-threatening.

Woods was on his way to the Rolling Hills Country Club for a second day of filming with GolfTV when he crashed. 

On Monday, he filmed with Jada Pinkett Smith, Dwyane Wade and David Spade for a series which involves him giving celebrities golfing lessons. 

On Tuesday he was scheduled to film with NFL stars Drew Brees, quarterback with the New Orleans Saints, and Justin Herbert, quarterback with the Los Angeles Chargers, ESPN reported.  

He lives in Florida but was in California over the weekend to host the PGA Genesis Invitational tournament. Genesis gave him a GV80 to drive for the week which is the vehicle he crashed on Tuesday morning.

What caused him to crash remains unknown. He was arrested in 2017 after crashing his car while drunk near his home in Jupiter, Florida.  

Sources cited by TMZ say alcohol was not a factor in Tuesday’s crash but it is still under investigation, and that he was seen speeding away from a hotel moments before the crash. 

It’s not clear which hotel he was staying at, but it was where a the crew of Grown-ish  were staying. The show’s director – who wasn’t named but was quoted by TMZ – said Woods nearly hit his car on his way out. 

He seemed ‘agitated and impatient’ because he was held back from leaving, another source said.

Woods recently underwent his fifth back surgery and has not been playing competitively while he recovers. 

His live-in girlfriend Erica Herman is understood to be at the hospital where he is undergoing surgery.

Pinkett Smith uploaded photos of her on the golf course with him on Instagram, writing: ‘Guess who I had the most awesome golf day with yesterdayyyyyy??? Yes! The magnificent @tigerwoods!!!! 

‘Yes … dreams come true✨I can’t wait for you to see my golf journey with Tiger. Stay tuned! @golftv @golfdigest’ 

David Spade also tweeted a photo with him. 

‘Golf lesson with this guy today. And you know what? He’s not bad… He picks things up very quickly. Good listener,’ he captioned it. 

Wayde uploaded a video of the pair where Woods was in high spirits.

They joked around about Wayde’s ability. Woods laughed: ‘We’re getting better!’

Images taken at the scene show police markings traversing the road and going over the central reservation which suggests that is the path Woods took.  

In a statement, the sheriff’s department said: ‘On February 23, at approximately 7.12am, LASD responded to a single vehicle roll-over traffic collision on the border of Rolling Hills Estates and Rancho Palos Verdes.  

‘The vehicle was traveling northbound on Hawthorne Boulevard, at Blackhorse Road, when it crashed.

‘The vehicle sustained major damage. The driver and sole occupant was identified as PGA golfer Eldrick ‘Tiger’ Woods. 

‘Mr. Woods was extricated from the wreck with the jaws of life by LA County firefighters and paramedics, then transported to a local hospital by ambulance for his injuries.’ 

Woods lives with his girlfriend, Erica Herman, in his mansion in Jupiter, Florida. 

His agent recently hit out at an HBO documentary about him that he said was ‘salacious’ and ‘just another unauthorized and salacious outsider attempt to paint an incomplete portrait of one of the greatest athletes of all-time’. 

The documentary focuses on his childhood and his relationship with his father Earl, and also includes interviews with kindergarten teachers and former girlfriends. 

Woods does not appear and he has always been shy of sharing details of his personal life. 

He has two kids with his ex-wife Elin Nordegren – a daughter, Sam, 13, and son Charlie, 12. 

Woods and Nordegren divorced in 2010 after his infidelity with multiple women was exposed. 

The sporting world reacted with shock on Tuesday as news of the accident spread.

Justin Thomas, one of Woods’ friends and former World Number One, said: ‘I’m sick to my stomach. It hurts to see one of my closest friends get in an accident. I just hope he’s all right.

‘Just worried for his kids.. I’m sure they’ll struggle.’   

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement: ‘We have been made aware of Tiger Woods’ car accident today. 

‘We are awaiting further information when he comes out of surgery. On behalf of the PGA TOUR and our players, Tiger is in our prayers and will have our full support as he recovers.’

Former President Donald Trump released a statement through his spokesperson to wish him well. 

‘Get well soon, Tiger. You are a true champion!’ he said. 

Trump is still banned from Twitter. 

Rachel Uchitel, Woods’ former mistress who was the first to go public with allegations of infidelity in 2009, told The New York Post she was ‘shaken up’ by the crash. 

‘Obviously hearing the news has shaken me up as it’s probably shaken everybody up to see that. 

‘Hearing [agent Mark Steinberg] say that he’s in surgery for his legs is something that really worries me and when you hear a comment like that you know it’s true.

‘He’s an athlete and his legs are essential to his sport and to him being who he is and he’s already had trouble with his body up until this point…

‘He didn’t need any more injuries,’ she said.  

Tiger’s troubled life: Sporting icon’s meteoric rise to fame, spectacular fall from grace and epic comeback after years of injury problems, infidelity, arrests and drug use

A car crash that seriously injured Tiger Woods Tuesday marked the latest chapter in 15-time major winner’s turbulent life following his meteoric rise to worldwide fame, spectacular fall from grace and epic 2019 comeback. 

The golf superstar, 45, had to be cut free by fire crews after his vehicle rolled over and suffered ‘major damage’. He is now undergoing surgery. 

Shocking images of Wood’s smashed up car following the accident in Los Angeles provided a stark flashback to his 2009 crash when he hit a fire hydrant outside his Orlando, Florida home. 

That came after he was chased out of his house by then wife Elin Nordegren over his numerous affairs and eventually led to admissions of infidelity and drug use.  

He was arrested for a DUI with five different kinds of drugs in his system in 2017 leading to Woods taking an ‘indefinite break’ from golf before his stunning comeback at the 2019 Masters. 

That journey to redemption had been an arduous one for Woods. 

Now, just months after a new HBO documentary heard from his mistress Rachel Uchitel for the first time, Woods is back in the headlines after crashing while driving alone near Rancho Palos Verdes when his Genesis GV80 flipped over at 7.12am. 

Uchitel said she was ‘shaken up’ after news of the crash first broke, telling The New York Post: ‘Obviously hearing the news has shaken me up as it’s probably shaken everybody up to see that. 

‘Hearing [agent Mark Steinberg] say that he’s in surgery for his legs is something that really worries me and when you hear a comment like that you know it’s true.’