Tiger Woods was speeding as fast as 87 mph, or more than 45 mph faster than the legal speed limit, before his SUV crashed in late February in southern California, badly injuring the golf legend, police said Wednesday.
Woods’ vehicle, a Genesis GV80 SUV, was going an estimated 75 mph when it crashed into a tree and began rolling over, according to police, citing a data recorder in that vehicle.
That recorder showed that the vehicle at some points was going between 68 mph and 86.99 mph before he failed to negotiate a curve in the roadway.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, who adamantly denied that Woods received favorable treatment by police in their investigation, said the accident was the result of Woods driving in what they called an unsafe manner for road conditions.
At a press conference, Villanueva also said there was no evidence that the 45-year-old Woods was impaired or intoxicated at the time of the Feb. 23 crash. Police did not check to see if Woods was texting before the crash, saying there was no need to do so.
Police said they will not issue a citation for Woods, who is currently recovering at his home in Florida. To issue a ticket for reckless driving would require evidence that Woods had committed multiple violations before the crash, such as unsafe lane changes, or passing other cars unsafely, according to cops.
Woods has no recollection of the collision, police said at the press conference.
“The primary causal factor for this traffic collision was driving at a speed unsafe for the road conditions and the inability to negotiate the curve of the roadway estimated speeds at the first area of impact were 84 to 87 miles per hour,” Villanueva said.
Woods did not brake before he crashed the car, according to police, who said the data recorder reveals he may have inadvertently hit the accelerator instead of the brakes before the collision.
” I know there are some saying that somehow he received a special or preferential treatment any, any of some kind, that is absolutely false,” Villanueva said.
“There was no signs of impairment, our primary concern once we obviously at the scene of the collision was his, his safety.”
He said there was no probable cause, such as open liquor containers or signs of narcotics in the car, that would have allowed investigators to obtain a search warrant to test Woods’ blood for intoxicants
The golfer, who was alone in the SUV, was trapped in the wreck, which occurred after he hit a center median in the road, and then careened into brush, hitting a tree at just before 7:12 a.m. PT.
After being extricated from the vehicle, Woods was taken to a local hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery for what a doctor at the time called “significant orthopedic injuries” to his lower right leg.
Woods’ epic career, which has featured 82 PGA titles, was upended in November 2009 after he crashed another SUV one morning into a fire hydrant just outside his then-residence in Florida.
Woods was knocked unconscious from that crash for more than five minutes. His then-wife, Elin Nordegren, reportedly used a golf club to smash a window and drag him out of the car.
The incident led to weeks of reports that Woods had been involved in multiple extramarital affairs. He entered a clinic for treatment shortly afterward.
In May 2017, Woods was charged with driving under the influence in Florida after police discovered him asleep in a damaged car.
In an apology later, Woods blamed “an unexpected reaction” to a mix of prescribed medications for his passing out.
“I want the public to know that alcohol was not involved,” Woods said at that time.
A month after that arrest, Woods entered a clinic for treatment related to issues with prescription pain medication and a sleep disorder.
Woods was said to be using pain medication to help him get up and move while recovering from four back operations.
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