Tiger Woods was transferred to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, for continued care following the roll-over SUV crash Tuesday morning that left the pro-golfer seriously injured and in need of emergency surgery.
Woods was originally sent to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, where he underwent emergency surgery for injuries to his right leg. According to a statement from Habor-Medical, Woods has now been sent to Cedars-Sinai, also in Los Angeles, to continue his “orthopaedeic care and recovery.” It’s not clear how long he will stay.
“On behalf of our staff, it was an honor to provide orthopaedic trauma care to one of our generation’s greatest athletes,” said Dr. Anish Mahajan, chief executive officer and chief medical officer at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, a trauma center and public teaching hospital in Los Angeles County. “As a public hospital, our nurses, doctors, and staff are at the ready 24/7 to meet the medical care needs of our community — from primary to trauma care — no matter who they are or where they come from.”
Statement of Anish Mahajan, MD, Interim CEO/CMO, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center: pic.twitter.com/isZOkD8FSG
— Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (@HarborUCLA) February 26, 2021
Woods was admitted to the hospital Tuesday morning after his SUV flipped as he was driving on a street with a downhill curve in the Palos Verdes area of Los Angeles. The L.A. sheriff’s deputy who was first to arrive on-scene said that Woods was alert and showed no signs of intoxication, but he couldn’t get out of the car by himself. As such, first-responders were forced to get Woods out of the car through the windshield, using extraction tools. He was the only person in the car.
In a statement released by TGR Ventures on Tuesday evening, Dr. Mahajan said that Woods had suffered “significant Orthopaedic injuries to his right lower extremity” and that “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.” TGR Ventures also said at the time Woods was “awake, responsive, and recovering” in the hospital.
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) February 24, 2021
ESPN, citing two sources, reports that Woods injured his talus bone, which helps to form the ankle and provides range of motion. Dr. Mahajan also said Woods suffered injuries to “the bones of the foot and ankle” that were stabilized with screws and pins. ESPN added in their report: “Sources say that screws were likely inserted into the area to help it heal, and if all goes well, eventually allow for normal movement.”
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Wednesday that he doesn’t anticipate any charges will be brought against Woods and called the crash “purely an accident.” He later added: “We don’t contemplate any charges whatsoever in this crash. This remains an accident — accident is not a crime.”
Woods, a resident of Florida, was reportedly driving to a photo shoot when the accident occurred. He had just hosted the Genesis Invitational over the weekend, but he did not play himself because he was still recovering from a recent back operation, according to CBS Sports.