Tiger Woods Involved in Serious Car Accident

The sports world held its breath once again on the evening of Tuesday, February 23rd as reports leaked out that golf icon Tiger Woods was involved in a serious car accident earlier that morning. Woods is currently recovering from surgery on his right leg to treat broken tibia and fibula bones at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. 

According to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, a phone call was received around 7:12am local time that reported a single-car accident. Woods was on his way to provide golf lessons for several celebrities, one of whom was the famous quarterback Drew Brees, when his car crossed over the median, hit a few small trees and flipped several times before coming to a stop. The immediate report that broke social media was that the jaws of life mechanism was used to extract Woods from the vehicle. Later reports from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department confirmed this and added that they used an ax to remove the windshield, which is how they removed him from the vehicle. As news started coming in, it was reported that Woods was alive and communicated with first responders while they helped extract him from the vehicle. He is currently still in the hospital recovering from surgery on multiple fractures in his leg.

Woods was driving a rental car: a brand-new Genesis SUV. The fact that he was driving this vehicle could have saved his life because newer vehicles are built with better technology which makes them safer. Photos and live coverage showing the vehicle demonstrated how safe the car was, even after a horrific accident like this one. Many of the sheriffs stated that the accident could have been fatal, and the fact that Tiger was wearing a seatbelt also saved his life. 

Players across the PGA Tour shared their thoughts on Woods’ accident throughout the week, and many paid tribute to him by wearing red and black on Sunday. This is a tradition Tiger started many years ago and he continues to wear red and black on the final day of a tournament. He shared his thoughts and emotions through a tweet on Sunday, explaining how he was touched by the gesture. This was the first time people had heard from Tiger since the accident because all other posts on his social media accounts were statements produced by his staff. We all pray for Tiger to recover quickly and to return home soon!

Featured image curtesy of NBC Sports.