LOS ANGELES —
Tiger Woods was seriously injured Tuesday when his SUV rolled over and ended up on its side in suburban Los Angeles, authorities said. The golf superstar had to be pulled out through the windshield, and his agent said he was undergoing leg surgery.
Woods was alone in the loaned 2021 Genesis GV80 luxury SUV at the time of the wreck.
Sheriff’s Deputy Carlos Gonzalez, who arrived first at the scene, said Woods was wearing a seatbelt and was very fortunate “to come out of this alive.”
The deputy asked Woods questions, including what day it was and where he was.
“Tiger was able to speak to me lucidly,” Gonzalez said. Woods appeared “incredibly calm,” the deputy said, likely because he was in shock.
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl L. Osby said that Woods was conscious and in stable condition with serious injuries when responders reached him.
Osby said that fire personnel used a pry bar and an ax to free Woods from the wreckage and transport him on a backboard.
- FILE – Tiger Woods looks on during the trophy ceremony on the practice green after the final round of the Genesis Invitational golf tournament at Riviera Country Club, Sunday, Feb. 21, 2021, in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. Woods was injured Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, in a vehicle rollover in Los Angeles County and had to be extricated from the vehicle with the “jaws of life” tools, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.(AP Photo/Ryan Kang)Read More »
- A vehicle rests on its side after a rollover accident involving golfer Tiger Woods along a road in the Rancho Palos Verdes section of Los Angeles on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021. Woods suffered leg injuries in the one-car accident and was undergoing surgery, authorities and his manager said. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)Read More »
- A vehicle rests on its side after a rollover accident involving golfer Tiger Woods along a road in the Rancho Palos Verdes section of Los Angeles on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021. Woods suffered leg injuries in the one-car accident and was undergoing surgery, authorities and his manager said. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)Read More »
- A vehicle rests on its side after a rollover accident involving golfer Tiger Woods along a road in the Rancho Palos Verdes section of Los Angeles on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021. Woods suffered leg injuries in the one-car accident and was undergoing surgery, authorities and his manager said. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)Read More »
- A vehicle rests on its side after a rollover accident involving golfer Tiger Woods along a road in the Rancho Palos Verdes section of Los Angeles on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021. Woods suffered leg injuries in the one-car accident and was undergoing surgery, authorities and his manager said. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)Read More »
- A vehicle rests on its side after a rollover accident involving golfer Tiger Woods along a road in the Rancho Palos Verdes section of Los Angeles on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021. Woods suffered leg injuries in the one-car accident and was undergoing surgery, authorities and his manager said. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)Read More »
- FILE – Tiger Woods, left, gives his son Charlie a fist bump after Charlie made a putt on the 12th green during a practice round of the Father Son Challenge golf tournament,\ in Orlando, Fla., in this Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020, file photo. Woods was injured Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, in a vehicle rollover in Los Angeles County and had to be extricated from the vehicle with the “jaws of life” tools, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)Read More »
- FILE – Tiger Woods smiles during a winner’s ceremony after winning the Zozo Championship PGA Tour at the Accordia Golf Narashino country club in Inzai, east of Tokyo, Japan, in this Monday, Oct. 28, 2019, file photo. Woods was injured Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, in a vehicle rollover in Los Angeles County and had to be extricated from the vehicle with the “jaws of life” tools, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File)Read More »
- FILE – Tiger Woods looks on during the trophy ceremony on the practice green after the final round of the Genesis Invitational golf tournament at Riviera Country Club, Sunday, Feb. 21, 2021, in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. Woods was injured Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, in a vehicle rollover in Los Angeles County and had to be extricated from the vehicle with the “jaws of life” tools, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.(AP Photo/Ryan Kang)Read More »
- A vehicle rests on its side after a rollover accident involving golfer Tiger Woods along a road in the Rancho Palos Verdes section of Los Angeles on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021. Woods suffered leg injuries in the one-car accident and was undergoing surgery, authorities and his manager said. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)Read More »
A vehicle rests on its side after a rollover accident involving golfer Tiger Woods along a road in the Rancho Palos Verdes section of Los Angeles on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021. Woods suffered leg injuries in the one-car accident and was undergoing surgery, authorities and his manager said. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)Read More »
Sheriff Alex Villanueva said that there was no immediate evidence of impairment at the scene.
Villanueva said there was no evidence of skid marks and it appeared that Woods first contacted the center median before hitting a curb and tree. The vehicle is believed to have rolled over multiple times.
“Thankfully the interior was more or less intact,” Villanueva said, adding that it would likely have been a fatal crash otherwise.
No other cars were involved in the wreck and the vehicle sustained major damage, the sheriff’s department said.
“Tiger Woods was in a single-car accident this morning in California where he suffered multiple leg injuries,” said his manager, Mark Steinberg. “He is currently in surgery and we thank you for your privacy and support.”
A helicopter over the scene of the accident showed a car on its side with the front end heavily damaged. Air bags appeared to have deployed. The wreckage was just off the side of a road on a hillside.