Golf star Tiger Woods was in the hospital Tuesday morning after a serious rollover crash near Rancho Palos Verdes, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.
Woods was the sole occupant of a Genesis GV80 SUV that was traveling north on Hawthorne Boulevard at Blackhorse Road when he crashed just after 7 a.m., authorities said. The vehicle sustained major damage, and Woods had to be extricated from the wreckage by Los Angeles County firefighters and paramedics, sheriff’s officials said.
Sources said he had to be removed through the car’s windshield.
“Because of the situation and the way that you found the vehicle, he wasn’t able to open the door and come out,” L.A. County Fire Department spokesman Henry Narvaez said. “We extricated him; we helped assist him out of the vehicle.”
Woods was transported to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center by ambulance, where he is in “serious” condition and is being treated for his injuries, the Fire Department said.
Woods “suffered multiple leg injuries. He is currently in surgery and we thank you for your privacy and support,” his manager, Mark Steinberg, said.
Aerial images from the scene of the crash showed Woods’ vehicle lying about 30 yards off the road on its side.
Woods was in Los Angeles as the host of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club, a golf tournament that concluded Sunday. He did not play in the event, as he was recovering from his fifth back surgery but told CBS announcer Jim Nantz in an interview during the final round that he hoped to play in the Masters in April.
“God I hope so. I’ve got to get there first,” Woods said in the interview. “A lot of it is based on my surgeons and doctors and therapist and making sure I do it correctly. This is the only back I’ve got; I don’t have much more wiggle room left.”
According to various reports, Woods was on the golf course shooting something for Golf Digest on Monday, and both retired NBA star Dwyane Wade and comedian David Spade tweeted they were playing with him that day.
Law enforcement sources who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter told The Times that Woods was traveling at a high rate of speed and lost control of the vehicle before crossing the center divider. Woods’ SUV rolled multiple times before coming to a halt. Officials have not revealed the cause of the crash.
The crash occurred on a curvy, steep stretch of Hawthorne Boulevard, a major road that cuts through the Palos Verdes Peninsula where signs warn trucks to use lower gears when traveling downhill. The road was closed Tuesday morning as deputies investigated.
Sheriff’s deputies specializing in accident investigations were photographing the scene and were set to take measurements and detail the wreckage before it was removed. The front end of the SUV was heavily damaged and the windscreen frame had been removed where Woods was extracted from the vehicle.
Bob Fong, 67, who lives on Blackhorse Road, just north of the crash site, noticed police cars at Hawthorne Boulevard on Tuesday morning and thought, “It must have been some big celebrity that crashed.”
Fong knows how tricky the …
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