Tiger Woods is awake and responsive Wednesday morning as he recovers from “significant” injuries in a one-car crash that required emergency surgery.
“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,” Anish Mahajan, the chief medical officer at Harbor-UCLA said. “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.”
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Woods crashed his SUV, striking a sign and crossing over a raised median and two oncoming lanes before flipping into a ditch before 7 a.m. on Tuesday.
Rescue crews said they needed to use the jaws of life to extract Woods through the windshield of the car, and he was rushed to the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.
Authorities indicated late Tuesday there was no “immediate evidence” that Woods was impaired before the crash, but an investigation remains ongoing.
“I will say that it’s very fortunate that Mr. Woods was able to come out of this alive,” said Deputy Carlos Gonzalez, who responded to the scene of the crash.
Woods was headed to Rolling Hills Country Club when the accident happened, The Associated Press reported.
“We thank everyone for the overwhelming support and messages during this tough time,” a message posted to Woods’s Twitter account overnight on Tuesday read. “There are no further updates at this time and we continue to thank you for your well-wishes and privacy for him and his family.”
Former President Trump wished Woods well after the incident, predicting he will make a comeback and play professional golf again soon.
“He’s a very respected person, he is so respected by the other players, they idolize him,” Trump said. “He’s gonna be back, I have no doubt about it, he’s gonna be back.”