Tiger Woods didn't realize severity of his injuries after rollover crash, deputy says - NBC News

Feb 24, 2021

The first Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy who arrived on the scene after Tiger Woods was involved in a rollover car crash said the golf legend was “lucid and calm” and didn’t realize the severity of his injuries.

In an interview Wednesday on NBC's “TODAY” show, Deputy Carlos Gonzalez said that when he arrived, the first thing he noticed was a vehicle about 40 feet off the roadway.

Gonzalez said he didn’t have the tools to remove Woods from the vehicle himself and kept the golf star company as the two waited for emergency aid.

Sheriff Alex Villanueva said during a Tuesday news conference that accidents are not uncommon in the area because of the downhill slopes and curves on the road

In a statement Tuesday night, Woods' team said he was “awake, responsive, and recovering” after a rod was placed into his leg during surgery

Anish Mahajan, chief medical officer and interim CEO at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, said Woods, 45, "suffered significant orthopedic injuries to his right lower extremity."

Gonzalez said the injuries could have been worse, crediting Woods for wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident