Golf legend, Tiger Woods was seriously injured Tuesday after a rollover car crash near Los Angeles, Southern California, authorities said.
Woods’ Genesis GV80 was going north on Hawthorne Boulevard at Blackhorse road, on the border of Rolling Hills Estates and Rancho Palos Verdes, at about 7:12 a.m. PST when it crashed and sustained “major damage,” the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement.
Woods was conscious after the one-car accident when he was removed from the car and was in stable condition, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby said Tuesday at a press conference.
Deputies did not see any signs of impairment when they arrived at the scene, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said at the same press conference.
The cause of the crash is under investigation, but Villanueva said that accidents were not uncommon in the area due to the downhill slopes and curves on the road.
“Thankfully the interior was more or less intact, which gave him the cushion to survive,” Villanueva said. “Otherwise, it would have been a fatal crash.”
Tiger Woods was the driver and only occupant of the vehicle, the sheriff confirmed before he was rushed to a hospital.
Authorities initially said that Woods had to be extricated from the car using the Jaws of Life, but Osby clarified Tuesday that different tools were used to help remove him from the wreckage.
Woods had serious injuries to both legs when he was taken to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. His agent, Mark Steinberg, told NBC News on Tuesday afternoon that Woods required surgery for multiple leg injuries.
Deputy Carlos Gonzalez, one of the first responders to the scene, told reporters that Woods was not able to stand on his own but was lucid and able to have a conversation with him. The deputy noted that Woods was wearing his seatbelt.
“I will say that it’s very fortunate that Mr. Woods was able to come out of this alive, because this is an accident prone stretch of road,” Gonzalez said. “We’ve seen a number of accidents on this stretch of roadway.”
Images of the crash scene showed the sports utility vehicle on its side with the front end almost totally smashed apart.
This is the second time Tiger Woods will be crashing his car.
If we may recall, Woods also crashed his car just a few days after Thanksgiving 2009 in Florida. The accident inadvertently revealed a bitter marital dispute with then-wife Elin Nordegren, as a host of women came forward to admit to having extra-marital affairs with the famed golfer.
