Tiger Woods was involved in a single-car rollover crash on Feb. 23, sending him to the hospital with multiple leg injuries. Questions have circulated about what caused the wreck in the weeks since, and now “experts” have spoken out. They suggested that Ambien may have played a major role in the incident.
USA Today Sports spoke to multiple experts about the crash, who said that they can’t quite draw conclusions about the cause and that there could be other explanations. These experts specifically listed a medical emergency or other medicines as potential options. Though Charles Schack, a former New Hampshire state police trooper who is now president of Crash Experts, suggested that Woods’ history with Ambien could serve as an explanation. “But I know where you look at the prior conduct and suspect there may be something else here at play,” Schack said.
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The outlet reports that a police officer in Florida observed a black Mercedes stopped on the road in the right lane in the early hours of Memorial Day 2017. The vehicle had its brake lights on and the right blinker still blinking. The officer approached the driver, who was asleep at the wheel and woke him up. The driver, identified as Woods, said that he did not know where he was and said that he “takes several prescriptions.” One of the prescriptions in his system was a sleep medication zolpidem, commonly known as Ambien.
Another incident occurred in 2009. According to a witness statement and the police report, Woods was found unconscious and snoring in his SUV after a single-car crash. The golfer acknowledged that he used Ambien but did not directly answer questions about the drug’s role in his crash during a news conference.
CNN obtained documents in the aftermath of the crash stating that Woods regained consciousness before Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies arrived at the scene. “The deputies asked him how the collision occurred,” the affidavit read, per CNN. “[The] driver said he did not know and did not even remember driving. [The] driver was treated for his injuries at the hospital and was asked there again how the collision occurred. He repeated that he did not know and did not remember driving.”
Sheriff Alex Villanueva said that the crash was purely accidental and that Woods would not face any charges. Los Angeles Sheriff’s Deputy John Schloegl also told USA Today Sports that there wasn’t “probable cause” to pursue a warrant to obtain blood evidence from Woods.
