New York: Golf superstar Tiger Woods narrowly survived a violent solo car crash on a steep, downhill suburban road in Los Angeles and was undergoing surgery until late Tuesday for multiple leg injuries at a University of California trauma centre.
LA County officials said the 45-year old was conscious and able to communicate when first responders reached the scene by 7.18 a.m. The inside of the midsize SUV was mostly intact and that "gave him a cushion to survive the crash," Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said. Both of Woods' legs are seriously injured.
"Tiger was able to speak to me lucidly," Gonzalez said. Woods appeared "incredibly calm," he said, likely because he was in shock.
Woods was on his way for a photo shoot with Discovery-owned GOLFTV, and was alone in his silver coloured SUV when he crashed a few minutes after 7 a.m. He crossed two oncoming lanes and rolled over several times before coming to a stop. No other cars were involved in the Woods crash.
A resident who heard the crash called the police at 7.12 a.m., and first responders from the Sheriff's team arrived at the crash site by 7.18 a.m. They called the fire department at 7.22 a.m. who finally got Woods out of the car using an axe to cut through the windshield.
Overhead visuals of the crash showed Woods' SUV on its side, with its front end flattened, several trees damaged in a wooded area and Woods' signature gear lying scattered in the underbrush. A huge signboard was lying on the middle of the road, the first signs that Woods may have swerved into oncoming traffic.
This is the third car crash that Woods has been involved in. The first one was in Fall 2009, when his SUV ended up slammed against a tree. It was the beginning of his first big personal and professional crisis when revelations surfaced of his infidelity. In May 2017, he was arrested by Florida police who found him asleep at the wheel of a parked car.
Woods was in Los Angeles over the weekend for the Genesis Invitational tournament at Riviera, where he presented the trophy. The SUV which he was driving seemed to be a car loaned to Woods by the organisers, going by the logo on the exposed side of the car.
(From IANS with edits)