Tiger Woods won't face charges after sheriff says car crash was an accident

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Los Angeles (CNN) The rollover car crash that seriously injured Tiger Woods outside Los Angeles on Tuesday was an accident and investigators won't pursue any charges against the golf great, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Wednesday.

"We don't contemplate any charges whatsoever in this crash," Villanueva said in a Facebook Live chat. "This remains an accident. An accident is not a crime. They do happen, unfortunately."

As of overnight Wednesday, Woods was "awake, responsive, and recovering" in the hospital from major surgery, according to a statement on his Twitter account.

The 45-year-old golf legend was driving shortly after 7 a.m. PT Tuesday in Rancho Palos Verdes when his SUV crossed a median and veered across two lanes of road before hitting a curb, hitting a tree and landing on its side in the brush, Villanueva said Tuesday.

Woods remained conscious and calm but sustained serious leg injuries . Villanueva told CNN's Erin Burnett on Wednesday that Woods made no comments at the scene regarding the cause of the crash, and when investigators asked him about it at the hospital, "he had no recollection of the crash itself."

Woods underwent a lengthy emergency surgery on his lower right leg and ankle at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, the statement said. The leg fractures were " comminuted ," meaning the bone was broken into more than two parts, and " open ," meaning the broken bone was exposed to open air, creating risk of an infection, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anish Mahajan said in the statement.

Orthopedic trauma specialists inserted a rod into his tibia to stabilize both the tibia and fibula bones, stabilized the foot and ankle bones with a combination of screws and pins, and relieved pressure to the muscle and soft tissue of his leg by surgically releasing the covering of the muscle, Mahajan said.

"His right leg was basically crushed," Daniel Rapaport, the Tiger Woods correspondent for Golf Digest, told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Wednesday.

A vehicle rests on its side after a rollover accident involving golfer Tiger Woods Tuesday.

The decision to surgically release the covering of the muscle suggests Woods may have been at risk of " compartment syndrome ," an issue common after crush injuries when pressure builds up to such a dangerous level that it can cut off blood flow.

"These surgeons likely believed that if they did not perform one of those procedures to release that pressure, they actually were worried that he could lose the limb. Amputation might have been necessary," Dr. Jeremy Faust, emergency physician Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, told CNN on Wednesday.

Having seen the damage at the crash site, Villanueva said it was "nothing short of a miracle" that Woods was alive. Woods was wearing a seat belt, which may have saved his life.

"We have seen accidents with far less obvious (damage) that are fatalities," Villanueva told CNN's Chris Cuomo on Tuesday.

Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods Tiger Woods reacts after winning the Masters golf tournament in April 2019. It was his 15th major title and his first since 2008. Hide Caption 1 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods Woods had his first brush with fame when he was just 2 years old. The young golfing prodigy appeared on "The Mike Douglas Show" in 1978, winning a putting contest with comedian Bob Hope. Hide Caption 2 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods Woods, 6, sizes up a putt in Los Alamitos, California, in 1982. His real name is Eldrick, but his father nicknamed him "Tiger" after a South Vietnamese soldier he fought alongside with during the Vietnam War. Hide Caption 3 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods Woods and his father, Earl, celebrate after a 15-year-old Tiger won the US Junior Amateur Championship in 1991. He won the event in 1992 and 1993 as well. Hide Caption 4 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods Woods, 16, tees off at the Los Angeles Open in 1992. That was his first taste of PGA Tour competition, albeit as an amateur. He missed the 36-hole cut. Hide Caption 5 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods Woods played for the United States during the World Amateur Team Cup, which took place in France in 1994. Hide Caption 6 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods Woods hits a tee shot during the 1995 Walker Cup, an international team event. Hide Caption 7 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods Woods talks to the media after winning his third-straight US Amateur in 1996. Throughout his life, Woods has worn red on the final day of a big tournament. Hide Caption 8 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods Woods played two years of college golf at Stanford University. He won the NCAA individual golf title in 1996. Hide Caption 9 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods Woods turned professional in August 1996, and it didn't take long for him to win his first tournament. Six weeks after he announced he was going pro — with a famous "Hello, world" ad campaign for Nike — Woods won the Las Vegas Invitational. That earned him this big check, a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour and a spot in the following year's Masters tournament. Hide Caption 10 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods Woods made history at the 1997 Masters, blowing away the field by 12 strokes to win his first major. At the time, it was also a record-low Masters score of 18 under par. Hide Caption 11 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods Woods hugs his father, Earl, after winning the 1997 Masters. Earl, a former Green Beret, was widely credited with developing his son's prodigious talent and pushing him to be the ultimate competitor. Hide Caption 12 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods Woods arrives at an airport in Hamburg, Germany, in May 2000. Hide Caption 13 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods Woods plays a shot from the ninth fairway during the 2000 US Open in Pebble Beach, California. Woods won the tournament by 15 shots, a record for any major. It was Woods' third major title by this point; he had also won the 1999 PGA Championship. Hide Caption 14 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods A month after the US Open, Woods won the 2000 British Open at the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland. That gave him the career Grand Slam — a win in each of the four different majors — at the age of 24. Hide Caption 15 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods Woods chips out of the rough at the 2000 PGA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky. Throughout his career, Woods has always had the largest galleries, with thousands of people flocking from hole to hole to watch him play. He's also been credited with bringing in millions of new fans to the sport. Hide Caption 16 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods Woods reacts as he sinks a putt during a playoff at the 2000 PGA Championship. Woods defeated Bob May in the playoff to win his third straight major. Hide Caption 17 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods Fans watch Woods tee off on the 18th hole at the 2001 Masters. Woods went on to win the event and complete what's now called the Tiger Slam — four consecutive major titles. Hide Caption 18 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods Woods chats with golf legend Jack Nicklaus at the Memorial tournament in June 2001. The two are widely considered to be the two greatest golfers in history, and only Nicklaus has won more major titles than Woods. Hide Caption 19 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods Woods arrives in a military vehicle before a golf exhibition in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in 2004. Woods spent the week training with Army troops before hosting a junior golf clinic for his Tiger Woods Foundation. Woods' father, Earl, was stationed at the base in the 1960s. Hide Caption 20 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods Woods and Phil Mickelson line up their putts during the final round of the Ford Championship in March 2005. For much of Woods' career, Mickelson was considered his biggest rival. Hide Caption 21 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods Woods celebrates with his caddie, Steve Williams, after his famous chip-in at the 2005 Masters. Woods went on to win his fourth green jacket. Hide Caption 22 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods Woods hugs Williams after winning the British Open in Hoylake, England in 2006. It was Woods' first major win since the death of his father just a couple of months earlier. Hide Caption 23 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods Woods stands with his mother, Kultida, and his daughter, Sam, as a statue of him and his father is unveiled at the Tiger Woods Learning Center in Anaheim, California, in January 2008. Hide Caption 24 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods Woods had a fractured tibia and a torn ligament in his knee, but he gutted out a playoff win over Rocco Mediate at the 2008 US Open. It was his third US Open win and his 14th major title. Hide Caption 25 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods President Barack Obama hosted Woods in the White House Oval Office in April 2009. Hide Caption 26 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods Woods hits a shot during a PGA Championship practice round in August 2009. Hide Caption 27 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods Woods holds his daughter, Sam, as he and his wife, Elin, attend a Stanford football game in November 2009. Woods married Elin, a model, in 2004. The couple also have a son, Charlie. Hide Caption 28 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods Woods approaches a lectern before giving a televised statement in February 2010. Woods apologized for being unfaithful to his wife and letting down both fans and family. "I had affairs, I cheated," he said. "What I did was not acceptable, and I am the only person to blame." It was his first public appearance since being hospitalized a couple months earlier following a car crash outside his home. Woods said he was in therapy for "issues," which he did not explain. He and his wife divorced in August 2010. Hide Caption 29 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods Woods plays virtual golf with talk-show host Jimmy Fallon in 2011. Hide Caption 30 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods Woods jokes with golf great Arnold Palmer after winning the Bay Hill Invitational in March 2013 and regaining his spot as the world's top-ranked golfer. Hide Caption 31 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods Woods falls to the ground in pain after hitting a shot at The Barclays in August 2013. A few months later, he would undergo back surgery for a pinched nerve. Hide Caption 32 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods From left, Woods, Jason Dufner and Mickelson hang out at the Muirfield Village Golf Club, where the Presidents Cup was taking place in Dublin, Ohio, in October 2013. Hide Caption 33 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods Woods kisses his then-girlfriend, skiing superstar Lindsey Vonn, at an event in Beaver Creek, Colorado, in 2015. The two dated for a couple of years. Hide Caption 34 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods In 2017, Woods was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. Woods, who was rehabbing from another back surgery, said in a statement that he had "an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications" and that alcohol was not involved. He pleaded guilty to reckless driving and went on probation. Hide Caption 35 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods Woods is trailed by jubilant fans during the final round of the Tour Championship in Atlanta in 2018. It was his first PGA Tour victory since 2013. Hide Caption 36 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods President Donald Trump presents Woods with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, in May 2019. It was just a month after Woods won his fifth Masters and 15th major. Trump hailed Woods as a "global symbol of American excellence" and congratulated him on his "amazing comeback." Hide Caption 37 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods Woods captained the US team to a Presidents Cup win in December 2019. Hide Caption 38 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods Woods putts during the second round of the Masters in November 2020. Hide Caption 39 of 40 Photos: Golf icon Tiger Woods Woods and his son, Charlie, warm up before the final round of the PNC Championship in December 2020. Videos of Charlie's impressive swing, a swing that looks much like his father's, went viral on social media. Hide Caption 40 of 40

Woods, the 15-time major champion, was driving a Genesis SUV courtesy vehicle by himself and is believed to have been traveling at a high rate of speed before the crash, authorities said. There were no skid marks or other indications of braking, Villanueva added.

Villanueva said that section of road is "downhill on a curve," and he and Gonzalez said the area is known as a trouble spot for speeding and accidents. The road has seen 13 accidents since last January.

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Carlos Gonzalez, who responded to the crash, found a lucid Woods still strapped into his seat belt but trapped as the SUV had rolled over onto the driver's side door.

Gonzalez described Woods as calm but potentially in shock. He determined there was no evidence of impairment, so drug recognition experts did not respond to the scene or hospital.

"I do think the fact that he was wearing a seat belt and that the vehicle safety features worked as designed by the manufacturer likely resulted in either reducing his injury or saving his life," Gonzalez told Cuomo.

Investigators have not yet pulled any data from the vehicle's black box event recorder, but anticipate doing so quickly to determine the cause of the crash.

"We do not know his estimated speed at this time," Villanueva said Wednesday. He said there is no information to believe Woods may have been distracted or on his phone.

Los Angeles County Fire officials arrived to break him free. Woods tried to get out of the SUV himself but was unable, Chief Daryl Osby told CNN's John Berman. He could not stand on his own, Gonzalez said.

To free him, firefighters broke the windshield with an ax and used a pry bar to move the seats and metal from around Woods' legs, Osby said.

The rescue workers put Woods in a neck collar, attached leg splints and used a backboard to get him through the giant hole in the windshield to an ambulance. He went to the hospital in serious but stable condition with injuries to both legs, Osby said.

Another car, not involved in the initial rollover incident, stopped after the crash and was rear-ended, said Los Angeles County public information officer Henry Narvaez.

Woods hosted Genesis Invitational and was on the course the day before

In the days leading up to the crash, Woods hosted the Genesis Invitational PGA tour event and gave golf lessons to sports stars and celebrities for a TV special. He did not play in the event because of a recent back surgery.

Woods likely was headed for the Rolling Hills Country Club in nearby Rolling Hills Estates for a shoot with Golf Digest and Golf TV, said Rapaport, the Golf Digest correspondent.

"He was filming his latest series with us yesterday, which will see him giving on-course instruction to a number of celebrities including Jada Pinkett Smith, Dwyane Wade and David Spade. He was due to continue filming with us today," Golf Digest's statement said.

Tuesday's scheduled filming was to include Woods with Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, a source familiar with the shoot told CNN. ESPN reported that New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees was also to be a part of the shoot with Herbert. The New Orleans Saints did not respond to a request for comment.

Woods had a 7:30 a.m. call time, with shooting supposed to begin around 8. It was the second day of filming, Rapaport said.

Woods was giving on-course golf lessons to celebrities but was not playing or hitting, Rapaport told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Tuesday.

"He was in good spirits on Monday when he did that," Rapaport said of the shoot.

The ups and downs of Tiger's career

The severe injuries are just the latest setback for Woods in a career of several dramatic rises and falls

Famous from an early age, Woods turned professional in 1996 at just 21 years old, and his talent and charisma transformed him into a global icon. He won a remarkable 14 golf majors from 1997 through 2008 and looked set to stroll past the all-time record of 18 set by Jack Nicklaus.

Woods' meteoric rise went beyond the golfing world as well. Woods broke barriers as a biracial athlete of Black and Asian descent in a sport populated by mainly White athletes.

"There were some people who were able to look at Tiger Woods and understand Black excellence in this arena in a way they hadn't understood it before," said Jemele Hill, contributing writer for The Atlantic.

But a series of injuries and personal issues derailed the track of his career. In 2009, a car crash outside his Florida home led to tawdry revelations about his rampant infidelity and the collapse of his marriage

After a break from the sport, he returned to golf but without the smothering dominance of his earlier years. There was also a growing list of injuries, leading to four back operations, including spinal fusion surgery, as well as the "dark times" where the pain was so bad he couldn't even get out of bed or play with his kids.

The operations and pain led to an addiction to opioid painkillers, and he was arrested on a DUI charge in 2017 in Florida. He pleaded guilty to reckless driving as part of a program to keep him from serving prison time.

That low point made his return to the top of the sport in 2019 all the more stunning. At the Masters, he surged to the lead and, followed by roaring crowds, clinched his first major win since the US Open in 2008 in one of the great comebacks in sports history.

The return to form, though, was again interrupted by injury. He announced in January that he had undergone a fifth back surgery after experiencing "discomfort," and earlier this week he said he hoped to compete at this year's Masters -- but his crash on Tuesday resets any timetable.

Dr. Scott Boden, professor of orthopedic surgery at Emory University School of Medicine, said there were too many unknown factors, particularly around the extent of his soft tissue injuries and those to his foot and ankle, to say what his recovery might look like.

"For an elite athlete like Tiger, he's got as good a chance from coming back from this as anybody does," Boden said. "We know never to count Tiger out from a recovery."

For now, the focus is on his immediate health, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said in an emotional interview Wednesday.

"Tiger's a human being. Tiger's had some really difficult injuries. The most important thing is his well being. It's Tiger recovering, it's supporting Tiger's family," Monahan said. "The golf -- when Tiger wants to talk about the golf, we'll talk about the golf. All the energy right now is going to be poured into supporting him in the days and months ahead."

in_pizza_we_trust on February 24th, 2021 at 19:50 UTC »

I think if you look at his injury chart without knowing who tiger is and had to guess what sport he’d played I think golf might be the last sport you pick

bittr_n_swt on February 24th, 2021 at 19:31 UTC »

A rod is a common orthopaedic procedure for long bone fractures so didn’t expect any less really

Wish him a speedy recovery

woowoo293 on February 24th, 2021 at 19:18 UTC »

He crossed a median and veered across two lanes. Very lucky that this was only a single car accident.