Tiger Woods was driving between 84 and 87 miles per hour when he crashed his SUV in Southern California late February, an accident that left the professional golfing legend with serious injuries and in need of surgery, law enforcement authorities announced Wednesday morning.
Sheriff’s department officials disclosed the findings on Wednesday, about a week after L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said he couldn’t release the full details of the crash due to privacy concerns. Officials said Woods has since waived his right to privacy, allowing them to disclose the details, which Villanueva said would have remained private otherwise.
Law enforcement said that the speed limit for that portion of road was 45 miles per hour, and also explained that Woods, after striking the median in a 2021 Genesis GV80, likely struck a tree at about 75 miles per hour. Woods, who was alone, was on his way to a photo shoot at the time of the accident.
“The primary causal factor for this traffic collision was driving at a speed unsafe for the road conditions, and the inability to negotiate the curve of the roadway,” said Villanueva. “Estimated speeds for the first area of impact were 84 to 87 miles per hour, and the final estimated speed when the vehicle struck the tree was 75 miles per hour. There were no citations issued and there are no signs of impairment.”
Villanueva called any suggestions that Woods received special treatment “absolutely false,” and he reiterated that Woods did now show any signs of impairment in his interactions with first responders at the scene of the crash. Law enforcement officials also said that obtaining a search warrant to test Woods’ blood for drugs would’ve required probable cause, which was not present.
Captain James Powers, of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, said that Woods had “no recollection” of the collision. Powers said that the speed estimates from the report were based on the data recorder from within the SUV. Powers said Woods may have accidentally hit the accelerator during the accident instead of hitting the brakes, but he emphasized that investigators could not be certain.
Woods, who was extracted from the SUV through the windshield, was transported to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center for injuries to his right leg that were later described by his doctors as “significant.” Woods was later transferred from the L.A.-based medical trauma center to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for additional treatment. In mid-March, several weeks after the accident, Woods announced that he had since returned home to Florida.
“I am so grateful for the outpouring of support and encouragement that I have received over the past few weeks,” said Woods. “Thank you to the incredible surgeons, doctors, nurses, and staff at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. You have all taken such great care of me and I cannot thank you enough.”
“I will be recovering at home and working on getting stronger every day,” he concluded.
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) March 16, 2021