Top American golfer Tiger Woods was driving “faster than normal speed” just before his car hit the road Tuesday morning, Los Angeles district authorities reported in a news conference Tuesday afternoon (local time).
Woods would have tapped the edge of the road on Tuesday morning and then hit a tree. After that, he flipped his SUV several times. The front of the car was completely destroyed as a result.
Authorities confirm that the 45-year-old top athlete was found by emergency services with serious injuries to his legs. He was trapped and was released a little later. Police said Woods was conscious and approachable when the emergency services arrived.
There would have been “no evidence” that Woods became unwell or was under the influence just before the accident.
Authorities say Woods is lucky that his car’s interior was intact and that he was wearing a seat belt. A sheriff says the accident would probably have had a fatal outcome otherwise.
Woods’ agent previously said the golfer would have sustained multiple injuries to his legs. Woods was currently undergoing surgery. The authorities did not want to make any further statements about his condition at the press conference ordered by Woods management.
The LA Times reported that the accident left Woods with a crushed ankle and two broken legs, but this has not yet been confirmed.
Woods was the most successful golfer in the world in the 1990s and 2000s, winning fourteen majors. After that he fell into a deep trough due to private problems. After a few difficult years Woods returned to the top and in 2019 he won his fifteenth major with The Masters.