Iconic golfer Tiger Woods is “awake” and “responsive” after undergoing emergency surgery following his involvement in a single-car accident.
Woods, 45, was involved in a single-car accident on Tuesday morning after he hit the median and crossed multiple lanes of traffic before hitting the curb, a tree, and flipping the vehicle multiple times, law enforcement announced during a press conference that evening. Woods, who has won 82 PGA Tour events, tied for the most ever, released a statement in the early hours Wednesday morning, his first since the wreck.
TIGER WOODS HOSPITALIZED AFTER ‘ROLL-OVER’ TRAFFIC COLLISION
He underwent “a long surgical procedure on his lower right leg and ankle.”
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) February 24, 2021
Anish Mahajan, the chief medical officer and interim CEO at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, where Woods was taken, said in a statement in Woods’s release, “Mr. Woods suffered significant orthopedic injuries to his right lower extremity that were treated during emergency surgery,” and that a rod had to be inserted into his tibia as a result of “comminuted open fractures affecting both the upper and lower portions of the tibia and fibula bones.”
The doctors also had to use screws and pins to stabilize the “additional injuries to the bones of the foot and ankle” and had to “surgically release the covering of the muscles to relieve pressure due to swelling” as a result of trauma to the muscle and soft-tissue part of the leg.
Woods also thanked well-wishers for the “overwhelming support” and thanked the hospital staff and paramedics.
The crash occurred in Rancho Palos Verdes, near Los Angeles, early on Tuesday morning in a stretch of the highway that is known to be dangerous.
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“The first contact was with the center median, and from there, then crossed into the opposing lane of traffic, hit the curb, hit a tree, and there were several rollovers during that process,” said Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva during the evening update, adding that there were no signs that Woods had been impaired at the time of the crash.
The golfer had been wearing his seat belt at the time of the accident, according to Deputy Carlos Gonzalez, who was the first on-scene. Daryl Osby, the fire chief, told reporters that Woods was unable to stand on his own and was taken from the vehicle on a backboard for “spinal precautions.” Woods was not airlifted to the UCLA hospital where he was taken for surgery, he noted.
