Tiger Woods was speeding at up to 87 miles per hour when he crashed and seriously injured himself, authorities revealed.
Woods was driving between 84 and 87 miles per hour in a 45 mph zone and struck a tree at about 75 mph, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said in a press conference a month-and-a-half after the incident.
‘The primary causal factor for the collision was driving at an unsafe speed for the road conditions and being unable to negotiate the curve’ of the roadway, said Villanueva on Wednesday morning.
Woods did not receive a citation for driving too fast and criminal charges will not be filed against him, Villanueva said.
California law generally requires that a law enforcement officer or independent witness see excessive speed, the sheriff noted.
Woods, or anyone else, would not be cited in a single-vehicle crash without a witness.
‘There were no signs of impairment’, Villanueva said. ‘Our primary concern at the scene of the collision was safety’.
Lomita Sheriff’s Station Cpt James Powers said that data from the vehicle’s data recorder, called the black box, showed that Woods stepped on the accelerator in the course of the crash.
Woods applied 99% pressure to the gas pedal, while possibly intending to brake instead, he said.
No scent of alcohol or narcotics were found in Woods’ 2021 Genesis GV80 after the February 23 crash.
Woods told investigators he was not drinking or taking prescription medication and law enforcement officials did not seek blood samples.
The golf star’s SUV hit a sign at the center median in Rolling Hills Estates near Los Angeles, crossed two oncoming lanes and rolled several times.
Woods sustained serious leg injuries that required multiple surgeries and weeks at hospitals before he could return to his home in Florida.
Woods’ crash cause was disclosed six days after law enforcement officials announced that the reason had been determined, but that it could not be shared. ‘
We have all the contents of the black box, we’ve got everything’, Villanueva said in a news conference last Thursday. ‘
It’s completed, signed, sealed, and delivered. However, we can’t release it without the permission of the people involved in the collision’.
Woods subsequently waived his privacy right and authorized the accident report to be publicly released. ‘
We’re thankful that he survived this tragic collision’, Villanueva said on Wednesday, ‘And I’d like to point out that Tiger Woods and his representatives have been very cooperative throughout this investigative process’.
In a statement tweeted about an hour after the press conference, Woods said the sheriff’s department had informed him a few days prior that the investigation into his accident had been completed and closed.
‘I am so grateful to both the good samaritans who came to assist me and called 911’, stated Wood, and also thanked sheriff’s deputies, firefighters and paramedics ‘for helping me so expertly at the scene and getting me safely to the hospital’.
‘I will continue to focus on my recovery and family’, the golf legend stated, ‘And thank everyone for the overwhelming support and encouragement I’ve received throughout this very difficult time’.
metro
