Authorities say there's no immediate evidence that Tiger Woods was impaired in a car crash that left him with multiple fractures in his right leg.
His surgeon said the 15-time PGA Grand Slam champion had multiple "open fractures" to his lower right leg. The surgeon said a rod was placed in the tibia, while screws and pins were inserted in the ankle.
At a news conference, the police chief and fire chief of Los Angeles County didn't answer follow-up questions on how they know he wasn't impaired or how fast he was driving. Weather was not a factor in the crash.
Sheriff Alex Villanueva and Fire Chief Daryl Osby say Woods was conscious and able to communicate when authorities arrived to pry him from an SUV after a rollover crash Tuesday. He was taken to a hospital in serious condition. His agent said he underwent leg surgery.
In this aerial image take from video provided by KABC-TV video, a vehicle rest on its side after a rollover accident involving golfer Tiger Woods along a road in the Rancho Palos Verdes suburb of Los Angeles on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021. Woods had to be extricated from the vehicle, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said in a statement. (KABC-TV via AP)
Authorities also say the inside of Woods' car likely kept him alive during the crash.
Sheriff Villanueva explained the car's interior gave Tiger "the cushion to survive what otherwise would have been a fatal crash."
He also noted the golfer was buckled up at the time of the accident, but that the front end of the vehicle was "totally destroyed."
The deputy who first responded said Woods was alert and able to respond. He also said the location was prone to accidents.
Woods has suffered knee, back and neck problems for more than a decade, and these new injuries raise the question of whether the 45-year-old will be able continue his golfing career.
With files from the Canadian Press and the Associated Press