Golfer Tiger Woods seriously injured in traffic accident
A Los Angeles police officer inspects Tiger Woods' car after his accident on February 23, 2021. REUTERS - GENE BLEVINS
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The golf legend was the victim of a spectacular accident at dawn on Tuesday, February 23, south of Los Angeles.
He was hospitalized and suffers from severe trauma to his legs.
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Tiger Woods "
was very lucky to get out alive,
" said the first police officer to arrive at the scene.
This is to say the violence of the accident which escaped, not unscathed, the American golfer, Tuesday February 23.
The golf star, 45, was evacuated to a nearby hospital, Harbor UCLA Medical Center, which specializes in trauma.
Woods was driving alone on a highway south of the large city in the western United States when, shortly after 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday, he took off the road and rolled over several times.
"
The vehicle was severely damaged
" after it rolled over, according to a statement from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
The champion had to be extricated from his car by firefighters using special equipment and an ax before being "
transported to a hospital for his injuries
".
"
Due to the situation and the state in which we found the vehicle, he was not able to open the door and get out,
" a spokesperson for the fire department told the daily.
But he was "
conscious
" and had "
serious injuries to his legs,
" a Los Angeles fire official said.
Speed first suspect
"
The nature of the vehicle
" he was driving - a luxury SUV - and "
the fact that he had buckled his seat belt helped a lot to save his life,
" said the policeman at a press conference. above, Carlos Gonzalez.
He noted that the portion of the road where the golfer likely lost control of his car was accident prone, twisty and at the foot of a descent.
Images broadcast by local television showed the SUV on its side Tuesday morning, the hood appearing badly damaged and the airbags deployed, in the vegetation bordering a winding road between the communities of Rolling Hills Estates and Rancho Palos Verdes, south of Los Angeles. .
The police officers who intervened early Tuesday morning at the scene of the accident saw "
no evidence
" that Tiger Woods was not in his normal state, said for his part the sheriff Alex Villanueva, specifying that the investigation in progress would focus on determining the possible role of alcohol, drugs or drugs in the accident.
Tiger Woods was in the California megalopolis due to a tournament he sponsored, the Genesis Invitational, which wrapped up last weekend.
Recently operated on the back, for the fifth time, he said on Sunday that he was not sure of playing the Masters in April.
The champion has won 82 American Golf Tour (PGA) tournaments in his career, tied with the legendary Sam Snead (1912-2002).
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