Tiger Woods is injured in car crash in Los Angeles County

Tiger Woods was injured in a serious car crash, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Tuesday, adding in a statement that paramedics pulled him from the wreckage with the rescue tool called the Jaws of Life.

Mark Steinberg, Woods’ longtime agent, said in a statement that Woods had suffered “multiple leg injuries” and is “currently in surgery.”

Steinberg added: “We thank you for your privacy and support.”

The incident happened about 7:12 a.m. local time Tuesday near the border of Rolling Hills Estates and Rancho Palos Verdes, a coastal city of about 42,000 people in Los Angeles County.

Woods’ vehicle was traveling north on Hawthorne Boulevard at Blackhorse Road when it crashed, the Sheriff’s Department said.

“The vehicle sustained major damage,” the department said.

Pictures of crash scene broadcast on local television Tuesday afternoon showed a black SUV turned on its side in an open, grassy area with extensive damage to the front of the vehicle.

Woods was removed from the vehicle with a hydraulic spreader tool, often called the Jaws of Life, by Los Angeles County firefighters and paramedics, and he was then taken to a hospital. His condition and the extent of his injuries were not immediately clear.

The incident is being investigated by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Lomita station.

Woods, 45, has not played competitively since December and had his fifth back surgery in January, a procedure called a microdiscectomy, to remove a pressurized disc fragment that was pinching a nerve. Last weekend, he hosted a PGA Tour event in Southern California, the Genesis Invitational. Interviewed on the broadcast of that tournament, Woods said he had begun practicing and appeared at ease, smiling and joking with CBS announcers about his progress from the surgery. But he offered no timetable for his return to competitive golf.

He only said he had hoped to resume playing by the Masters Tournament, which is held in the first full week of April.

On Monday, at an event at the Rolling Hills Country Club near Los Angeles, pictures on social media showed Woods happily interacting with various celebrities, including former NBA player Dwyane Wade. During the function, Woods gave players golf tips and limited instruction but was not swinging a golf club.

 

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