Tiger Woods was going at full speed when the SUV crashed in February, leaving the 45-year-old golf legend serious injuries, authorities said Wednesday. His vehicle was traveling between 84 and 87 mph in an area outside of Los Angeles with a 45 mph speed limit, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva told a news conference.
“The main causal factor in this traffic collision was driving at an unsafe speed for road conditions and the inability to negotiate the road curve,” Villanueva said.
On Feb. 23, Woods hit a median around 7 a.m. local time at Rolling Hills Estates. His vehicle veered off the road, crashed into a tree and overturned in an area known for accidents. Woods spent weeks in hospital after being operated on and is now recovering at home.
Citing the vehicle’s data logger, police found that Woods hit the accelerator “unintentionally” instead of breaking it after hitting the median, which caused high speeds during the collision. . The vehicle was traveling at 75 mph when it hit a tree.
The sheriff reiterated that there was no evidence that Woods was deteriorating and said it was not appropriate to give Woods a sobriety test in the field given the serious nature of his injuries at the scene. He said Woods and his team have been cooperative throughout the investigation.
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“While investigators were interviewing him at the site and at the hospital, these questions were asked and there was nothing to indicate poisoning,” said Captain James Powers.
Villanueva said his office did not issue an appointment because the police officer or witnesses did not observe speeding and did not involve any other attention, which is the policy of the department. The sheriff also denied giving special treatment to Woods during the investigation.
In a statement On Wednesday, Woods thanked deputies and firefighters who responded to the February crash. “I will continue to focus on my recovery and my family and I will thank everyone for the support and overwhelming encouragement I received at this difficult time,” he said.