Golf’s biggest star Tiger Woods is currently recovering from lengthy surgery repairing significant leg injuries after his car rolled over and crashed in a suburb of Los Angeles, California.
Woods was reportedly on his way to a television shoot when his SUV, a 2021 Genesis, was involved in a single-vehicle accident, with Woods needing to be extricated from the vehicle.
An update on his condition was published on his Twitter account 15 hours after the crash occurred, which confirmed the fractures were in multiple places in the bone, and that the bone broke skin.
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) February 24, 2021
“Mr Woods suffered significant orthopaedic injuries on his right lower extremity that were treated during emergency surgery by Orthopaedic trauma specialists at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, a level 1 trauma center. Comminuted open fractures affecting both the upper and lower portions of the tibia and fibula bones were stabilized by insuring a rod into the tibia,” said Anish Mahajan, MD, Chief Medical Officer & Interim CEO at Harbour-UCLA Medical Centre.
“Additional injuries to the bones of the foot and ankle were stabilized with a combination of screws and pins. Trauma to the muscle and soft tissue of the leg required surgical release of the covering of the muscles to relieve pressure due to swelling,” Mahajan continued.
The statement on Woods’ Twitter account confirmed he is awake, responsive and recovering in his hospital room, and thanked the medical staff as well as the police and fire department officials who helped to get Woods to safety.
“There are no further updates at this time and we continue to thank you for your well-wishes and privacy for him and his family,” concluded the statement.
The first officer to arrive at the scene, Deputy Carlos Gonzalez, was quoted as saying that it was a common spot for crashes.
Barbara and I just heard about Tiger’s accident, and like everyone else, we are deeply concerned. We want to offer him our heartfelt support and prayers at this difficult time. Please join us in wishing Tiger a successful surgery and all the best for a full recovery.
— Jack Nicklaus (@jacknicklaus) February 23, 2021
“I will say that it’s very fortunate that Mr. Woods was able to come out of this alive,” said Gonzalez.
Woods, who has undergone multiple surgeries over his career, was busy rehabbing from his latest procedure on his back and was not close to returning to the links at the time of the accident.
An outpouring of support flooded social media after the crash, with some fellow golfing legends pledging their support.
“Barbara and I just heard about Tiger’s accident, and like everyone else, we are deeply concerned. We want to offer him our heartfelt support and prayers at this difficult time. Please join us in wishing Tiger a successful surgery and all the best for a recover,” said golfing legend Jack Nicklaus.
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