Tiger Woods Accident: LA County Sheriff’s Deputy Details First Interactions With Golfer

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office announced on Tuesday that golfer Tiger Woods had been involved in a single-car rollover crash. There were several questions about the incident, and the LASD provided updates during an afternoon press conference. One of the deputies even detailed his first interactions with Woods.

“When I arrived on scene, Mr. Woods was seated in the driver’s seat,” said Deputy Carlos Gonzalez. “I made contact with him and I made sure he was able to speak to me. At that time, he seemed like he was still calm and lucid. I made the determination I would be safer to wait for LA County Fire to help remove him instead of try to remove him myself.”

Deputy Gonzalez continued to explain that he helped keep the golfer calm by speaking to him until LA Fire arrived at the scene of the accident. He said that he asked Woods what his name was and immediately recognized him after hearing “Tiger” in response. Deputy Gonzalez said that he asked some other questions as a further test.

“I asked him if he knew where he was, what time of day, to make sure he was oriented. He seemed as though he was lucid and calm,” Gonzalez continued. “He did not seem concerned about his injuries at the time, which is not uncommon in traffic collisions.

Sheriff Alex Villanueva also spoke to the media on Tuesday and provided details about the events prior to the rollover crash. He said that there were no skid marks on the pavement or any other indication that Woods attempted to stop before hitting the center median. He said that Woods’ vehicle crossed into the opposing lane of traffic, hit a curb, hit a tree, and then rolled over multiple times.

“At the time it crossed the center divider, to the point that it rested, was several hundred feet away, so obviously that indicates they were going at a relatively greater speed than normal,” Villanueva said during the press conference. “Because it is downhill, it slopes, and also it curves. That area has a high frequency of accidents. It’s not uncommon.”

With the extent of damage to the car, there were concerns about Woods suffering life-threatening injuries. However, Villanueva said that the interior of the vehicle remained intact and acted as a cushion that prevented a fatal outcome. He also noted that Woods was wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident.