L.A. County Sheriff says speeding caused Tiger Woods to crash

Tiger Woods was driving almost twice the stated speed limit of 45 mph when it took a sharp turn and crashed on the Palos Verdes peninsula in February, the Los Angeles County Sheriff said in a long-awaited report on the Wednesday accident, which had left the golf legend seriously injured.

Driving at unsafe speeds for the road and not being able to curve the road caused the crash on Feb.23, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said. Woods was driving a loaned Hyundai Genesis SUV when he crashed and suffered serious ankle and leg injuries that could threaten his career as a player.

Investigators examined the SUV’s advanced data systems to determine that Woods was reaching speeds of up to 100 km / h at the time of the crash in Rolling Hills Estates. The sheriff released the information after Woods waived any objection to the disclosure of the crash information.

Instead of reducing his speed to the winding stretch of Hawthorne Boulevard, Woods accelerated down the steep incline on the north side, which sometimes catches drivers unaware of its growing dynamism.

James C. Powers, captain of the Lomita Sheriff’s Station, which oversees the area, which includes Hawthorne Boulevard, said the crash happened at 7:12 a.m. Woods hit the median, then a Rolling Hills sign, and then the west edge before hitting a tree 71 feet from the pavement.

“The impact of the vehicle when it hit the tree caused it to blow up and pirouette and land on its side,” said Powers.

When the airbags were deployed, the SUV’s event data recorder recorded pre- and post-crash speeds from 82.02 mph to 86.99 mph.

According to Powers, the data recorder also records the pressure exerted on the accelerator pedal during the collision, which was 99%.

“There was no sign of braking during the collision,” said Powers, who speculated that Woods “accidentally pressed the accelerator instead of the brake pedal.”

Powers said when Woods reached the West Rim, the SUV’s speed dropped to 75 mph after initial impacts.

Villanueva noted that the stretch of road Woods crashed on is “inherently dangerous” and has had “more than an average number of collisions”.

In the year before the accident, 13 other motorists crashed on the route and all but two were found guilty. Villanueva has said that it is easy for a rider to gain speed on the descent where gravity alone creates momentum. But he also noted on Wednesday that “the drivers are also responsible for taking the conditions into account”.

Woods stayed in the LA area after hosting the Genesis Invitational golf tournament. He was on his way to Rolling Hills Country Club to shoot a movie at around 7 a.m. on February 23, after spending the night at the Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes.

Woods is now in Florida recovering from multiple surgeries.

There were growing questions as to why no more information about the crash had been released. Last week, Villanueva said detectives discovered what caused the crash but refused to release details, citing unspecified privacy concerns.

Powers denied Wednesday that there was evidence of Woods ‘use of alcohol, drugs or prescription drugs that likely prompted a warrant to be obtained for Woods’ hospital blood draw. He also noted that given the composite fracture and potentially life-threatening injuries Woods sustained at the scene, no form of sobriety assessment would be performed.

“There was no evidence of impairment. It didn’t smell of alcohol. There are no open containers in the vehicle, and there are no drugs or indications of medication in or on the vehicle, “Powers said.

He added that Woods stated during a subsequent interview in the emergency room at the time of the crash no drugs or medicines consumed to have.

The sheriff also pushed back against former law enforcement officers who suggested that Wood’s blood should have been checked.

“I know there are many drug detection experts out there who said they should have done this or that, and without the signs of impairment, we won’t get to the point where we can issue a search warrant and determine the likely cause can.” he said.

Deputy Carlos Gonzalez, the lead crash investigator on the case and the first MP to arrive at the scene, has publicly stated that he had seen nothing that led him to suspect that Woods was under the influence of any substance and hence no legal reasons for testing him for alcohol, narcotics, or prescription drugs. Woods was calm and clear, he added.

Villanueva also noted that a drug abuse driver’s “past” is not a likely cause. In 2017, after a DUI charge, Woods checked into a clinic in his home state of Florida for help treating prescription drug addiction.

Woods told investigators he had no recollection of what happened.

Powers and Villanueva also addressed why Woods was not charged with a crime or charged with reckless driving or speeding.

According to Powers, the SUV doesn’t have enough data to quote Woods with speeding. The act must be witnessed by a law enforcement officer.

Interjected the sheriff. “It is a sole traffic accident … we will not issue a quote for a violation that is not present in the presence of a peace officer. That would apply to everyone,” said Villanueva, adding that any suggestion that Woods would receive special treatment, ” wrong is “.

Woods says he is focused on his “recovery and family” after the sheriff’s department completes investigations into his crash.

“I am very grateful to the two good Samaritans who came to help me and called 911,” Woods said in a statement Wednesday. “I am also grateful to the LASD MPs and the LA Firefighter / Paramedics, especially the LA Sheriff’s Deputy, Carlos Gonzalez, and the LAFD Engine Co. # 106, the Fire Paramedics Smith and Gimenez, for being so competent on the spot helped and got me safely to the hospital. ”