Tiger Woods Accident Update: Golfer Is Awake After Emergency Surgery to Right Leg and Ankle

Tiger Woods is “awake, responsive and recovering” at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center following the extensive emergency surgery required following his one-vehicle rollover crash Tuesday outside of Los Angeles. The golfer’s serious injuries required the insertion of a rod, screws and pins to stabilize his leg, according to a statement shared to his Twitter account.

The athlete, 45, was driving shortly after 7 a.m. Tuesday in Rancho Palos Verdes when the Genesis SUV courtesy vehicle he was driving crossed a median and veered across two lanes before hitting curb and tree and rolled over several times before landing on its side off the road. Police said Tuesday that he had sustained serious leg injuries but remained conscious throughout the crash.

Orthopedic trauma specialists stabilized both the tibia and fibula bones by inserting a rod into his tibia and stabilized the foot and ankle bones with screws and pins. They also relieved pressure to the muscle and soft-tissue of his leg by releasing the covering of the muscle in surgery, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anish Mahajan said in the statement.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva spoke to the media Tuesday about details of the crash, revealing there were no skid marks on the pavement indicating that Woods had attempted to stop before hitting the median. “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 a press conference. “Because it is downhill, it slopes, and also it curves. That area has a high frequency of accidents. It’s not uncommon.”

LASD Deputy Carlos Gonzalez was the first law enforcement official on the scene and detailed his interactions with Woods to the media in a press conference. “When I arrived on scene, Mr. Woods was seated in the driver’s seat,” said 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.”

“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.”