Professional golfer Tiger Woods was recovering at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center late Tuesday after he was seriously injured in a single-car rollover accident in Rancho Palos Verdes, a coastal city located in Los Angeles County, California, earlier in the day.
TGR Ventures, the company Woods founded, released a statement late Tuesday saying that Woods was “awake, responsive, and recovering.” He had been taken to the hospital after sustaining serious leg injuries that ended up requiring a “long surgical procedure.”
“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,” said Dr. Anish Mahajan, chief medical officer. “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,” added Dr. Mahajan.
As The New York Times notes, the statement doesn’t note any injuries to Woods’ left leg, but earlier in the day, Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Daryl Osby said Woods had suffered injuries to both legs.
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) February 24, 2021
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Tuesday that Woods was “lucky to be alive” and had to be removed from his SUV after the crash, which occurred around 7 a.m. local time, according to The Los Angeles Times. Villanueva said that Woods had been driving down a hill at a “relatively greater speed than normal” and his car rolled over several times.
Woods was the SUV’s only occupant and there were no signs he was intoxicated, Villanueva said in the Tuesday press conference. Sheriff’s Deputy Carlos Gonzales, the first deputy on-scene following the accident, said Woods was conscious when he arrived but that he couldn’t get out of the car on his own, according to local news outlet KTLA-5.
“The nature of his vehicle, the fact that he was wearing a seat belt — I would say that it greatly increased the likelihood that it saved his life,” remarked Gonzales. “It’s very fortunate that Mr. Woods was able to come out of this alive.”
According to ESPN, Woods was in the Los Angeles Area to host a tournament over the weekend but had stayed longer for a photo shoot. Woods is a resident of Florida, but he grew up in the southern California region.
Mark Steinberg, Woods’ agent, had confirmed the accident to Golf Digest earlier in the day: “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.”