Golf

Tiger Woods was driving almost twice the speed limit during February crash

LA police say golfer’s SUV hit a tree at an estimated 120km/h

A tow truck recovers the vehicle driven by golfer Tiger Woods in Rancho Palos Verdes, California after a rollover accident. The golfer was driving at nearly double the 45 mph speed limit when he crashed. Photograph: Frederic J Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Wed Apr 7 2021 - 19:05

Tiger Woods’s accident in February was caused by excessive speed and failure to negotiate a curve, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office said on Wednesday.

Sheriff Alex Villanueva said at a press conference in downtown Los Angeles that there were no signs of impairment for Woods, who will not face any citations or charges for the crash on February 23rd.

“The primary cause or factor for this traffic collision was driving at a speed unsafe for the road conditions and inability to negotiate the curve of the roadway,” Villanueva said.

Villanueva said Woods’s Genesis SUV was travelling an estimated 84 to 87 mph (135-140 km/h) on a stretch of road that has a speed limit of 45 mph (72.4 km/h) .

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Villanueva added that the “estimated speed when the vehicle struck the tree was 75mph [120 km/h]”.

Woods, 45, sustained severe leg injuries after the SUV struck a raised median, crossed through two oncoming lanes and uprooted a tree before rolling over in Rolling Hills Estates, just outside of Los Angeles.

Villanueva said Woods and his representatives have been co-operative during the investigation and permitted the release of the findings. Villanueva initially cited privacy concerns for not releasing the findings earlier.

In May 2017, with five prescription drugs in his system, Woods was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence when he was found asleep at the wheel of his car and later pleaded guilty to reckless driving.

Alex VillanuevaTiger Woods