Two months to the day since a single car crash left him seriously injured, Tiger Woods posted an image of himself on Friday, on crutches.
Woods is recovering at his Florida home after several weeks in the hospital following a February 23 car crash in a coastal Los Angeles suburb.
Woods had been driving a 2021 Genesis SUV on a downhill stretch of road known for wrecks when he struck a raised median in a coastal Los Angeles suburb, crossed into oncoming lanes and flipped several times.
Woods shattered the tibia and fibula of his lower right leg in multiple locations. Those injuries were stabilized with a rod in the tibia during a long surgery. Additional injuries to the bones in the foot and ankle required screws and pins.
Earlier this month, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Woods was driving at more than 80 mph when his SUV entered a dangerous curve just outside the city and crashed.
Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Woods’ SUV crossed a raised median and struck a tree at 75 mph. Woods and his representatives had granted permission to the department to release the causes of the crash.
The speed limit in the area is 45 mph. The stretch of road is known for wrecks and drivers hitting speeds so high that there is an emergency exit for runaway vehicles just beyond where Woods crashed.
Villanueva blamed the Feb. 23 crash solely on excessive speed and Woods’ loss of control behind the wheel. Sheriff’s Capt. James Powers said there was no evidence the golfer braked throughout the wreck and that it’s believed Woods inadvertently hit the accelerator instead of the brake pedal.
Woods, who is from the Los Angeles area, had been back home to host his PGA tournament, the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club, when the crash happened Feb. 23.
Detectives did not seek search warrants for the athlete’s blood samples, which could have been screened for drugs or alcohol. Investigators, however, did search the SUV’s data recorder, known as a black box, in the days after the crash.
The crash was the latest setback for Woods, who has won 15 major championships and a record-tying 82 victories on the PGA Tour.
He is among the world’s most recognizable sports figures, and at 45, even with a reduced schedule from nine previous surgeries, remains golf’s biggest draw.
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