Tiger Woods Extricated in CA Rollover Crash

Golf star Tiger Woods was in the hospital Tuesday morning after a serious rollover crash near Rancho Palos Verdes, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said.

Woods was the sole occupant of the SUV, a Genesis GV80, which was traveling north on Hawthorne Boulevard at Blackhorse Road when he crashed just after 7 a.m., authorities said. The vehicle sustained major damage, and Woods had to be extricated from the wreckage by Los Angeles County firefighters and paramedics, sheriff's officials said.

Sources said he had to be removed through the car's windshield.

"Because of the situation and the way that you found the vehicle, he wasn't able to open the door and come out," L.A. County Fire Department spokesman Henry Narvaez said. "We extricated him, we helped assist him out of the vehicle."

He was transported to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center by ambulance, where he is being treated for his injuries.

Woods "suffered multiple leg injuries. He is currently in surgery and we thank you for your privacy and support," Woods' manager, Mark Steinberg, said.

Aerial images from the scene of the crash showed Woods' vehicle lying about 30 yards off the road on its side.

Officials have not revealed the cause of the crash.

Law enforcement sources who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter told The Times that Woods was traveling at a high rate of speed and lost control of the vehicle before crossing the center divider. Woods' SUV rolled multiple times before coming to a halt.

The sources described his condition as "moderate to critical."

The crash occurred on a curvy, steep stretch of Hawthorne Boulevard, a major road that cuts through the Palos Verdes Peninsula where signs warn trucks to use lower gears when traveling downhill. The road was closed Tuesday morning as deputies investigated.

This is not the first car crash Woods has been involved in. In 2009, as he backed out of his driveway in a gated community near Orlando, Fla., his Cadillac SUV struck a fire hydrant and hit a neighbor's tree.

In 2017, Woods was arrested in Jupiter, Fla., after police officers found him asleep at the wheel of his car. Woods later said the incident was caused by an "unexpected reaction to prescribed medications."

Times staff writer Christina Schoellkopf contributed to this report.

___

(c)2021 the Los Angeles Times

Visit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.