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Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva has said that Tiger Woods was “not drunk” during his single-car crash on Tuesday and that it was “purely an accident.” He also said his department would not be filing charges against Woods pertaining to the accident, according to ESPN.
Villanueva also stated that the area of the road where the accident occurred is a “challenging” downhill section. The department has not pulled any information from the vehicle’s event data recorder, or ‘black bock,’ which would give details about speed.
A statement shared by the Tiger Woods foundation on Tuesday explained that Woods was awake, responsive, and recovering in his hospital room following emergency surgery.
The statement from Woods’ team also included a statement from Anish Mahajan, MD, Chief Medical Officer & Interim CEO at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, who detailed the injuries and operation.
“Mr. Woods suffered significant orthopedic injuries to his right lower extremity that were treated during emergency surgery by Orthopedic trauma specialists at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, a level 1 trauma center. Comminuted open fractures affecting both the upper and lower portions of the tibia and fibula bones were stabilized by inserting a rod into the tibia. Additional injuries to the bones of the foot and ankle were stabilized with a combination of screws and pins. Trauma to the muscle and soft-tissue of the leg required surgical release of the covering of the muscles to relieve pressure due to swelling.”
During a news briefing on Tuesday afternoon, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Carlos Gonzalez explained Woods was unable to stand under his own power and was put on a backboard after being taken out of the vehicle.
Gonzales was the first to arrive on the scene and told NBC’s Today Show that once they got Woods out of the car he didn’t appear to be aware of “how gravely injured he was,” which he credited that up to “adrenaline and shock.”