Tiger Woods lucky to be alive after rollover car crash

Famous American golfer, Tiger Woods, is recovering after undergoing surgery following a single-vehicle car accident in a Genesis GV80 in Palos Verdes, California, on Tuesday.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva says Woods is “lucky to be alive” after what he calls a single vehicle rollover traffic collision.

The surgery was to repair “significant orthopaedic injuries” to his lower right leg and ankle, which included the insertion of a rod into his tibia and the use of “a combination of screws and pins” to stabilise his foot and ankle.

Chief Medical Officer at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center,  Anish Mahajan, said in a statement released on the golfer’s Twitter account late Tuesday.

“He is currently awake, responsive, and recovering in his hospital room,” the Twitter statement added.

An earlier statement from the Los Angeles County Sheriff confirmed that the 45-year-old golfer neither struck nor was struck by another vehicle.

The LA County Sheriff noted that Woods had to be pulled out of the GV80 by the fire department, as the LA Times reports.

Woods was the sole occupant of a Genesis GV80 SUV that was travelling north on Hawthorne Boulevard at Blackhorse Road when he crashed, the authorities said.

The vehicle sustained major damage, and Woods had to be extricated from the wreckage by personnel from the Los Angeles County Fire Department, sheriff’s officials said.

Sources said he had to be removed through the car’s windshield.

“Because of the situation and the way that you found the vehicle, he wasn’t able to open the door and come out,” L.A. County Fire Department spokesman Henry Narvaez said.

He added, “We extricated him; we helped him out of the vehicle.”

The LA Times further notes that Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva claimed Woods is “lucky to be alive.”

His car was 30 yards off the road where it landed. The LA Times also reports that he is in serious condition at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, and cites an unnamed source that Woods’ injuries include a shattered ankle.