The scene of Tiger Woods’ solo rollover SUV crash shows how badly damaged the vehicle was when rescuers reached the golf legend. Fortunately he survived with only serious injuries to both of his legs.
Tiger Woods is lucky to be alive after his 2021 Genesis SUV rolled down an embankment in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA shortly after 7am on Feb. 23. Photos and aerial videos from the scene show his badly damaged vehicle, with the entire front windshield gone from where firefighters broke through it to help rescue Tiger. An airbag deployed, and the force of the impact caused the hood of the car to fly upwards, exposing the mangled engine and parts underneath. Fortunately Tiger was wearing a seat belt when the crash occurred, according to authorities. “Thankfully the interior was more or less in tact, which gave him the cushion to survive. Otherwise, it would have been a fatal crash, LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva told reporters at a 3pm PST news conference.
It was initially reported by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department that firefighters needed the jaws of life to extract the golf legend from the vehicle, but sheriff’s personnel later said at the news conference that the device was not used. Instead an axe was used to break the front windshield. Authorities said Tiger was alert and able to communicate with first responders on scene. The 45-year-old was then transported to the trauma center at Harbor UCLA Medical Center in stable condition with serious injuries.
Photos show the massive exterior damage to Tiger’s 2021 Genesis SUV following the rollover crash. Photo credit: AP.
The LA County Sheriff’s Department held the briefing where it was revealed, “he was alive and he was conscious — that’s the extent of that” and that Tiger had suffered serious injuries to both legs. Authorities also noted that there was “no evidence of impairment” on Tiger’s part. He was the sole occupant of the vehicle. “There were no other life threatening injuries to my knowledge,” Sheriff Villanueva told reporters.
UPDATE: Los Angeles Co. Fire Dept. clarifies that the jaws of life were not used to extricate Tiger Woods from the wreckage of his vehicle. pic.twitter.com/VINRsn3hIv
— NBC News (@NBCNews) February 23, 2021
#TigerWoods was hospitalized after a single-car crash Tuesday near L.A. Woods was removed from the vehicle with the “jaws of life.” The golfer’s agent said Woods suffered leg injuries. He was on the links with @DwyaneWade on Monday.https://t.co/cbdfamiyPT pic.twitter.com/oOOLPoD3LN
— CBS4 Miami (@CBSMiami) February 23, 2021
Officials noted that vehicles travel at “a relatively greater speed than normal slopes and curves” in that area, and that the road “has a high frequency of accidents.” Tiger didn’t appear to have braked, as there were “No skidmarks, no braking. First contact was with the center median where he hit the curb and a tree, with several rollovers in the process.” First responder Deputy Carlos Gonzalez noted at the news conference that, “I will say that it’s very fortunate that Mr. Woods was able to come out of this alive, because this is an accident prone stretch of road, We’ve seen a number of accidents on this stretch of roadway.”
Golf legend Tiger Woods escaped a near-fatal car accident with badly injured legs. Photo credit: AP
A neighbor near the crash site called 911 about the accident Deputy Gonzalez revealed that when he reached Tiger’s vehicle, “He was calm and lucid, I asked him his name and he said it was Tiger,” adding “He didn’t seem concerned about his injuries” Villanueva noted that Tiger’s manager didn’t want any more information about his current condition released at the news conference. The sheriff said that while in the hospital, Tiger was alert enough to ask that a member of his team be contacted.