Tiger Woods was lucky to be alive Tuesday following a high-speed, single-car crash near Los Angeles that caused multiple fractures in the golf great’s legs — requiring immediate surgery.
Woods, 45, was conscious and alert as he was pulled out through the front windshield of a badly damaged luxury SUV following the wreck in Rancho Palos Verdes, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
“It was very fortunate that Mr. Woods was able to come out of this alive,” said Deputy Carlos Gonzalez, who was first on the scene.
Sheriff Alex Villanueva said that while Woods was “able to communicate,” he “was not able to get up. That was not an option.”
Woods’ “serious” injuries included a shattered ankle and two leg fractures— one of which was compound, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Photos from the scene show the gray vehicle on its side on a hill with its airbags deployed and extensive damage to the front-end.
The athlete was traveling alone at around 7:12 a.m. on Hawthorne Boulevard and Blackhorse Road — a notoriously accident-prone stretch of suburban LA — when he apparently lost control of the 2021 Genesis GV80 and crashed into a raised median.
The vehicle crossed two oncoming lanes, hit a curb and a tree and rolled over several times before coming to a stop on its side in a grassy area, authorities said.
The airbags deployed and the inside of the car stayed basically intact, “giving [Woods] the cushion to survive what would have otherwise been a fatal crash,” Villanueva said.
The sheriff’s department initially said Woods had to be rescued using a tool called the “jaws of life,” but Captain James Powers later walked that back on Fox News, saying “they were not used, that is not an accurate statement.”
Fire officials used a halligan tool and axe to rip off the SUV’s windshield and pull Woods out.
“We used an axe and another type of hand tool to pry the windshield out and then assisted the patient out of the vehicle,” Officer Henry Narvaez said.
Woods was wearing a seatbelt, according to Gonzalez, who said the golf star “seemed as though he was still calm and lucid.”
“I asked him what his name was [and] he told me his name was Tiger and at that moment I immediately recognized him,” said Gonzalez.
After getting Woods out of the wreck, first responders put him on a backboard, secured his neck and took him to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center by ambulance.
In a statement, his agent Mark Steinberg said the golfer suffered “multiple leg injuries.”
“He is currently in surgery and we thank you for your privacy and support,” the statement, obtained by Golf Digest, said.
Woods was still conscious when he arrived at the hospital, and asked for someone to contact a member of his team, Villanueva said.
Authorities are still investigating the cause of the crash but said that it did not appear Woods was impaired. There was no smell of alcohol or any other signs that the golfer was under the influence, the officials said.
Law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times that Woods was traveling “at a high rate of speed” and lost control of the SUV, a courtesy car for players at the Genesis Invitational, where Woods served as tournament host over the weekend.
Authorities did not say how fast Woods was driving, but Villanueva noted he was traveling at a “relatively greater speed than normal” while descending a hill. The sheriff said that there were no skid marks or no signs of braking.
“That area has a high frequency of accidents,” he added.
Gonzalez told reporters that he sometimes catches people topping 80 mph in the 45 mph zone and has seen fatal crashes there.
A neighbor called 911 to report the crash, which “literally happened right at their doorstep,” the sheriff said.
James Powers, the sheriff’s department captain, told Fox News the road Woods was traveling on “is kind of a steep climb and he was coming downhill.”
“I know that speeds can increase just by the momentum of a vehicle so I would definitely believe that speed is a contributing factor to this,” Powers said.
The probe into the cause of the collision could take days or weeks, authorities said.
There was also a second crash when a vehicle that stopped to help Woods got rear-ended, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. That wreck was minor, with no one hurt.
The incident took place about 20 miles south of downtown Los Angeles, near the swanky communities of Rancho Palos Verdes and Rolling Hill Estates, where the golfer visited a country club on Monday.