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The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Tiger Woods suffered a shattered ankle and two leg fractures, one of which was compound, during his car crash in California on Tuesday morning. According to ESPN, Woods has crush injuries of both lower legs and underwent hours of surgery.
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. Sheriff Alex Villanueva told reporters that there was “no evidence of impairment” at the time of the accident.
It’s unclear whether Tiger fractured both legs, or that both fractures occurred in the same leg.
Woods’ agent Mark Steinberg released a statement shortly after the initial news broke: “Tiger Woods was in a single-car accident this morning in California where he suffered multiple leg injuries. He is currently in surgery and we thank you for your privacy and support.”
After hosting the Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles last week, Woods hung around LA after the tournament to participate in a two-day content shoot with Golf Digest and GolfTV. According to Fox News’ Brett Baier, the 15-time major winner was reportedly running late to meet NFL quarterbacks Drew Brees and Justin Herbert.
According to TMZ, just minutes before the accident, Woods nearly hit a car that belonged to the director of the TV show “Grown-ish” while speeding off from the hotel he was staying at.
Woods was injured in a single-car crash in Ranchos Palos Verdes, California on Tuesday just after 7:00 AM PST. According to the LA County Sheriff’s office, Woods’ car rolled over and sustained major damage. Initial reports stated that he was extricated from the car with the jaws of life’ by Los Angeles County firefighters and paramedics, but Captain James Powers told Fox News’ Martha MacCallum that the jaws of life were not used. This was later confirmed during the press briefing later in the afternoon.
On January 19, Woods announced that he underwent back surgery, his fifth since 2014. Woods’ last start came at the PNC Championship when he played alongside his son, Charlie, in December. His last official start came at this past year’s Masters in November. He was hoping to make a return from his latest back surgery by the Masters coming up in April.