Tiger Woods Lucky To Be Alive After LA Car Crash

The 15-time major winner suffered “multiple open fractures” to his right leg after a roll-over car crash in LA yesterday morning

Tiger Woods Lucky To Be Alive After LA Car Crash

Tiger Woods is lucky to be alive following his serious car crash in LA yesterday morning according to local police.

In a statement posted on his official Twitter account, Anish Mahajan, Chief Medical Officer at Harbor-UCLA Medical Centre, outlined the extent of the 15-time major winner's injuries, saying: “Mr. Woods suffered significant orthopaedic injuries to his right lower extremity that were treated during emergency surgery.

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“Comminuted open fractures affecting both the upper and lower portions of the tibia and fibula bones were stabilised by inserting a rod into the tibia.

“Additional injuries to the bones of the foot and ankle were stabilised with a combination of screws and pins.

"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."

The statement in full can be read below:

Such was the severity of the incident that, despite the seriousness of his injuries, local police insist that the 45-year-old escaped lightly.

“I will say that it’s very fortunate that Mr Woods was able to come out of this alive,” said Carlos Gonazalez, the Los Angeles Deputy who was first on the scene.

Gonzalez also reported that Woods was awake and lucid when he arrived, before being extricated from the wreckage by firefighters.

"When I arrived on the scene, Mr Woods was seated in the driver's seat," Deputy Gonzalez added.

"I made contact with him and ensured he was able to speak to me.

"At that time, he seemed as though 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 trying to remove him myself.

"I kept Mr Woods calm until LA County Fire arrived on the scene."

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Asked what he did to keep the American calm, Gonzalez replied: "I asked what his name was. He told me his name was Tiger and at that moment I immediately recognised him.

"I asked him if he knew where he was and what time of day it was to see if he was oriented.

"He seemed as though he was lucid and calm.

"He didn't seem concerned about his injuries at the time, which is not uncommon in traffic collisions.

"Many times people tend to be in shock; it's a traumatic experience."

According to police, the American was on his own when he hit a central reservation before crossing lanes and rolling his car many times, eventually coming to rest several hundred feet from the initial impact.

Woods was in LA hosting last week's Genesis Invitational, which was won by Max Homa, and stayed behind for a two-day filming shoot with Golf Digest.