Tiger Woods crashed his vehicle early Tuesday morning in a Los Angeles neighborhood and was conscious and “calm,” but unaware of the extent of his injuries, said a sheriff’s deputy who was among the first to arrive on the scene. .
Carlos Gonzalez, a deputy with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, told NBC News’ “Today” shows the legendary golfer was able to identify himself immediately after the wreckage, but was not “aware” of the seriousness of his injuries.
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“Mr. Woods seemed calm,” Gonzalez recalled. ‘I don’t think he was aware of how badly he had been injured at the time. It could be a mixture of adrenaline. It could have been a shock… I don’t know if he had time to fully assess his injuries. ”
He continued: “I ask him, ‘Can you tell me your first name?’ He looked at me and said, “Tiger.” It took me half a second, but I saw his face and I thought, “Oh, yeah, you’re Tiger Woods.” ”
Gonzalez noted that Woods didn’t seem like he was in distress, so he waited for the fire brigade to come and safely remove him from the wreckage.
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Woods, 45, suffered “multiple leg injuries” after being involved in a single car collision at the border of Rolling Hills Estates and Rancho Palos Verdes at around 7:12 a.m. local time.
His team released a statement early Wednesday morning describing the extent of those injuries.
“Crushed open fractures affecting both the upper and lower parts of the tibia and fibular bones were stabilized by inserting a rod into the tibia,” said Dr. Anish Mahajan, chief medical officer and interim CEO of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, said. . “Additional injuries to the bones of the foot and ankle were stabilized with a combination of screws and pins.”
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While law enforcement did not rule out that speed was a contributing factor, Gonzalez said the road where the crash occurred is a “hot spot” for wrecks.
“That particular stretch of road is one of our problem areas,” he said at a news conference on Tuesday. “Our locals in Ranchos Palos Verdes and Rolling Hills Estates know it’s a hot spot for road accidents and for speed. In my experience as a deputy sheriff … I’ve seen a lot of collisions. The nature of his vehicle, the fact that he has a seat belt. , I would say it greatly increases the chances of it saving his life. “
Gonzalez continued, “I’ve seen road fatalities, so I’ll say it’s very fortunate that Mr. Woods got out of here alive.”