Will body cam footage of Tiger Woods' harrowing rescue be released?
Tiger Woods SUV moving at ‘high rate of speed’ before rollover: Report
FOX News correspondent Trace Gallagher has the latest on the golf star’s car crash on ‘Special Report’
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva told FOX 11’s Bill Melugin that police will be as transparent as legally possible and will consult with county attorneys regarding the release of body cam footage related to the rescue of golf legend Tiger Woods.
Woods was involved in a single vehicle rollover collision Tuesday morning near the Rolling Hills Estates and Rancho Palos Verdes neighborhoods.
Deputy Carlos Gonzalez was among the first emergency personnel members to arrive on the scene. He described Woods as “calm and lucid”, adding that Woods knew where he was and what time of day it was. Gonzalez’s body camera was turned on during the rescue.
TIGER WOODS WAS FOUND ALIVE WITH SERIOUS INJURIES WITH NO EVIDENCE OF IMPAIRMENT AFTER CRASH, OFFICIALS SAY
Villanueva said that Woods was driving at a “relatively greater speed than normal” when he crashed in a hilly area and that Woods was driving northbound when he hit a center divider and flew several hundred feet. He noted that there was no evidence of impairment when emergency personnel arrived.
“[The vehicle] crossed the center divider, to the point that it rested several hundred feet away so obviously that indicates they were going at a relatively — a greater speed than normal. However, because it is downhill, it slopes and it also curves,” he said. “That area has a high frequency of accidents. It’s not uncommon.”
Villanueva added that the front end of the 2021 Hyundai Genesis SUV that Woods was driving was “totally destroyed” but that the interior was “more or less intact.”
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Workers move a vehicle on its side after a rollover accident involving golfer Tiger Woods Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., a suburb of Los Angeles.. Woods suffered leg injuries in the one-car accident and was undergoing surgery, authorities and his manager said. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
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A vehicle is towed away from the site of a crash involving golfer Tiger Woods, Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, in the Rancho Palos Verdes suburb of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
LA County firefighters and parademics extricated Woods from the wreckage by pulling him out through the windshield of the vehicle. Woods was then transported to Harbor UCLA Hospital, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby said.
A source familar with Woods’ treatment told the LA Times that the golfer’s injuries include a shattered ankle and two leg fractures, one of which is compound.
A traffic investigation into the incident is being conducted by the LASD’s Lomita Station. An LASD source told Melugin that drugs and alcohol did not appear to be contributing factors in the crash.
TIGER WOODS WAS DRIVING GENESIS GV80 IN LOS ANGELES CRASH
While the circumstances around the crash weren’t officially released, two sources told Fox News that Woods was set to work with Discovery Networks to do behind the scenes “teaching lessons” with several stars. He was seen with NBA legend Dwyane Wade and actor David Spade. Actress Jada Pinkett Smith also posted a photo with the golfer Monday.
Woods was set to tape two more “lessons” at the Rolling Hills County Club at 8 a.m. local time – one with Drew Brees and the other with Los Angeles Chargers rookie Justin Herbert. Sources told Fox News Woods was running late when he took off from the hotel in an SUV. The sources said that Woods’ crews and a handler were getting ready and were waiting for about two hours before hearing about the crash.
A Discovery rep told Fox News that Woods was set to continue filming Tuesday before the crash as the golfer and the network have a long-term partnership.
“Everyone at Discovery and GOLFTV wishes Tiger a speedy recovery and our thoughts are with him, his family and his team at this time,” Discovery Networks said in a statement.
TIGER WOODS CRASH REVERBERATES ACROSS THE SPORTS WORLD: ‘SICK TO MY STOMACH’
Woods was in Los Angeles over the weekend as the tournament host of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club, where he presented the trophy on Sunday. Woods was loaned the Genesis GV80 by the car company for the duration of his stay in Los Angeles. The winner of the tournament, Max Homa, also received a new Genesis GV80.
The 2021 Genesis GV80 carries a starting price of $48,900. The car contains a 300 horsepower engine, a 14.5-inch horizontal touchscreen on the center console and an 8-inch digital instrument panel. It has 10 airbags, a forward-collision warning system, evasive steering technology and an interior camera to alert drivers if they’re falling asleep.
“This morning, Genesis was saddened to learn that Tiger Woods had been in an accident in a GV80,” a Genesis spokesperson told FOX News in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Tiger and his family at this time.”
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The Tuesday surgery marks Wood’s tenth procedure in total.
Woods recently had a fifth back surgery on Dec. 23, the first since a procedure to fuse his lower spine back in April 2017. In addition, he had four previous surgeries on his left knee, including a major reconstruction after he won the 2008 U.S. Open.
This is the third time Woods has been involved in a car investigation. The most notorious was the early morning after Thanksgiving in 2009, when his SUV ran over a fire hydrant and hit a tree. That was the start of shocking revelations that he had been cheating on his wife with multiple women. Woods lost major corporate sponsorships, went to a rehabilitation clinic in Mississippi and did not return to golf for five months.
In May 2017, Florida police found him asleep behind the wheel of a car parked awkwardly on the side of the road. He was arrested on a DUI charge and said later he had an unexpected reaction to prescription medicine for his back pain. Woods later pleaded guilty to reckless driving and checked into a clinic to get help with prescription medication and a sleep disorder.
Fox News’ Bret Baier, Daniel Canova, Ryan Gados, Paulina Dedaj, Maria Haas and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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