Between relief and worry. A few hours after the announcement of the terrible road accident of Tiger Woods, 45, we begin to know a little more about the circumstances of the tragedy. And we especially realize that in his misfortune, the golf star, was obviously very lucky, both the exit from the road that his vehicle made near Los Angeles was violent.
Tiger Woods “was very lucky to make it out alive,” said the first police officer to arrive at the scene of the tragedy. “The nature of the vehicle” he was driving – a luxury SUV – and “the fact that he had buckled his seat belt contributed a lot to saving his life,” said the policeman at a press conference. , Carlos Gonzalez. He also noted that the portion of the road where the golfer likely lost control of his car was accident prone, twisty and at the foot of a descent.
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The golfer was still “conscious” after the accident, which occurred shortly after 7 am, and the emergency services extracted him from his vehicle with “serious injuries to both legs,” said for his part at a press conference a Los Angeles fire official, Chief Daryl Osby. Tiger Woods was “lucid and calm” even though he was still trapped in his damaged vehicle, said Carlos Gonzalez, the first police officer to arrive at the scene.
“No proof” that he was not in his normal state at the time of the accident
Rescue workers had to use a specialized tool and an ax to extract Tiger Woods from his car, which was then evacuated to a nearby hospital with a trauma unit, Chief Osby said. In a statement, Tiger Woods’ agent said the athlete “suffered from multiple leg injuries.” “He is currently in the operating room,” said Mark Steinberg at midday. According to Los Angeles Times, the athlete suffered from a broken ankle and leg fractures, including a multiple.
No other vehicle appears to be involved in the crash, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Services, which have opened an investigation to clarify the circumstances. Sheriff Alex Villanueva said his men had found “no evidence” to suggest that Tiger Woods was driving under the influence of narcotics, drugs or alcohol at the time of the accident. According to the first observations of the police, Tiger Woods crossed the central reservation and carried out several rolls, hitting a tree in passing, before coming to a stop on the side.
Sheriff Villanueva estimated that Woods was traveling “at a relatively faster than normal speed” downhill, adding that no sign of braking had been noted. Images broadcast by local television showed the SUV lying on its side, the hood appearing badly damaged and the airbags deployed, in the vegetation lining the road between the communities of Rolling Hills Estates and Rancho Palos Verdes, south of Los Angeles. Tiger Woods was in the California megalopolis due to a tournament he sponsored, the Genesis Invitational, which wrapped up last weekend.
The United States at the bedside of its champion
Recently operated on the back, for the fifth time, he said on Sunday that he was not sure of playing the Masters in April. The champion has won 82 American Golf Tour (PGA) tournaments in his career, tied with the legendary Sam Snead (1912-2002). His almost unrivaled record includes 15 Grand Slam titles, three less than his mentor Jack Nicklaus.
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Many golfers and athletes have sent him encouraging messages, such as former number one Justin Thomas or NBA star Magic Johnson. A golf enthusiast himself and owner of numerous courses, former President Donald Trump also sent his best wishes for recovery to Woods. “Get well quickly, Tiger. You are a real champion, ”he tweeted via an advisor. “I have no doubts about it, he will come back,” the billionaire later said in an interview with Fox television. His predecessor Barack Obama also wished the champion a “speedy recovery”. “If we’ve learned anything in all these years, it’s never to take Tiger out of the game,” he wrote on Twitter.
Tiger Woods (Eldrick Woods for civil status) had largely dominated the tournaments between 1996 and 2008, conferring to his sport a notoriety which exceeded the audience of his usual followers. After a slump in his private life, including the revelation of many adulterous affairs, Woods had managed to return to the top before collapsing again, suffering from serious back problems. He had once again fed the news section by being arrested, asleep at the wheel of his car, under the influence of a cocktail of drugs and antidepressants one evening in May 2017 in Florida.
He did not return to the greens until January 2018, after several failed attempts and four back operations, including arthrodesis, a painful fusion of vertebrae. In April 2019, Tiger Woods had once again returned to success by winning the prestigious Augusta Masters after an unlikely comeback.
Article original de: www.leparisien.fr
