Tiger Woods is recovering in hospital after a “long surgical procedure” on his right leg following a car crash in California.
Key points:
- Tiger Woods was involved in a single-vehicle crash off a Los Angeles highway
- The 15-time major champion has suffered “significant” injuries to his right leg
- A statement on his Twitter account says he is awake and recovering in hospital
A statement was released on the Twitter account of the 15-time major champion, confirming his injuries.
Woods was found trapped in his SUV after it rolled off a highway in Los Angeles.
The accident happened about 7:00am local time on Tuesday.
The statement confirming Woods had suffered several injuries to his right leg also said the golf legend was “awake, responsive and recovering in his hospital room”.
Interim chief executive of the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Anish Mahajan, said a rod, screws and pins were needed to stabilise Woods’s leg.
“Mr Woods suffered significant orthopaedic injuries to his right lower extremity that were treated during emergency surgery,” he said.
“Communicated open fractures affecting both the upper and lower portions of the tibia and fibula bones were stabilised by inserting a rod into the tibia.
“Trauma to the muscle and soft-tissue of the leg required surgical release of the covering of the muscles to relieve pressure due to swelling.”
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Police said the golfer’s car went off the road at a known accident area.
The safety features of the 2021 Chrysler Genesis SUV he was driving, given to him as a courtesy car, have been credited with saving his life.
He was wearing a seatbelt.
“It’s very fortunate Mr Woods was able to come out of this alive,” LA County Deputy Sheriff Carlos Gonzalez said.
