An investigation is ongoing into the Sheriff's department's decisions that gave Tiger Woods a clean chit for the crash.
Weeks after Tiger Woods had a horrific single-vehicle crash in California, the golfer is at home recovering after undergoing surgery. He had "significant orthopedic injuries to his right lower extremity" after being in the rollover car crash in February.
"Happy to report that I am back home and continuing my recovery," Woods, 45, wrote in a statement shared to Twitter on March 17. "I am so grateful for the outpouring of support and encouragement that I have received over the past few weeks," he added. "Thank you to the incredible surgeons, doctors, nurses and staff at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center," the golfer wrote. "You have all taken such great care of me and I cannot thank you enough," he added.
After the crash, Dr. Anish Mahajan of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center had said, "Comminuted open fractures affecting both the upper and lower portions of the tibia and fibula bones were stabilized by inserting a rod into the tibia." He added, "Additional injuries to the bones of the foot and ankle were stabilized 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." Basically, the bone of one of his legs had broken through the skin. It was also fractured into multiple pieces after his car struck a sign in the center divider and brushed through a tree before landing in the brush.
The car had major damage, and he had gotten stuck inside it before first responders got him out. "I will be recovering at home and working on getting stronger every day," Woods added.
This wasn't his first car accident. He had also crashed his vehicle in 2009. Back then, his car collided into hedges and then ended up hitting a fire hydrant, according to USA Today. The car didn't come to a rest before hitting a tree. After that, in 2017, he was arrested for reckless driving. At the time, he had two sleep drugs, two painkillers, and the active ingredient for marijuana in his system.
Recently, Woods' friend and fellow golfer Rory McIlroy told The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, about his friend's health condition. The 31-year-old said he has spoken to Woods "a bit" since the crash, noting, "He's doing better."
"You know, I think all the guys have reached out to him, and hopefully if things go well over the next week or so he might be able to get home and start recovery at home, which would be great for him, so, see his kids, see his family," McIlroy said, as per People.
There is currently an investigation into the Sheriff's office that gave Woods the benefit of the doubt, according to forensic experts. Sheriff Alex Villanueva had said that his deputies "did not see any evidence of impairment" with the golf legend, as per USA Today. The Sherrif had said that no "drug recognition expert [was] needed to respond to do any further assessment of that." He announced the crash as "an accident."
However, there is evidence that the golfer was inattentive or asleep when his vehicle crashed. Woods also said that he didn't remember how the crash occurred. He doesn't even remember driving after surviving the crash with broken bones in his right leg. There is also lack of braking evidence on the road, which has led experts to question two particular sheriff-department decisions. It's an ongoing investigation.
References:
https://people.com/sports/tiger-woods-returns-home-after-hospitalization-following-car-crash/
Cover image source: Getty Images | Photo by Harry How
