An official statement posted on Tiger Woods’ Twitter account Tuesday night said the golfer suffered « crushed open fractures affecting both the upper and lower portions of the day in a car accident Affect the tibia and fibula ”.
A crushed bone is broken into more than two pieces. An open fracture, also known as a compound fracture, is a fracture in which there is an open wound or break in the skin near the site of the broken bone.
The statement states that the golf legend « requires lengthy surgery on his right lower leg and ankle « .
Anish Mahajan, the chief medical officer and interim CEO of the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center where Woods was admitted, said a bar, pins and screws were used to fix his injuries to stabilize.
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« The tibial and fibular bones were stabilized by inserting a rod into the tibia, » Mahajan said. “Additional injuries to the foot and ankle bones were stabilized using a combination of screws and pins. Trauma to the muscle and soft tissue of the leg required surgical release of the muscle cover to relieve pressure from swelling. “
Woods was injured in a car accident in Los Angeles this morning and was taken to a local hospital by ambulance for surgery. According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the crash occurred on a residential street in Palos Verdes.
It was unclear whether the golfer was driving too fast, although LA Sheriff Alex Villanueva found it Vehicle driven north due to the winding descent in a particularly accident-prone area on Hawthorne, traveled « several hundred feet » after impact with the road, mean median and there were no skid marks.
« Apparently the first contact was with the mean median, » said Villanueva. « From there it crossed the opposite lane, hit the curb, hit a tree, and there were multiple rollovers during the process. »
Woods, who recently had his fifth back surgery and had multiple knee surgeries, hosted the Genesis Invitational at the Rivera County Club in Pacific Palisades over the weekend. He didn’t play.
Woods – real name Eldrick – has of course been in the news for traffic-related issues before. He crashed his car in 2009, sparking a series of revelations about his personal life. In 2017, police found the golfer asleep in his parked car and arrested him for DUI after failing a field sobriety test. Following the arrest, it was reported that Woods had a cocktail of pain relievers in his system, some of which were prescribed for back surgery that same year.
The legendary Woods stormed back to the fore after several injury-related seasons by playing the Tour Championship 2018 and then the Masters 2019 won. But he’s had problems since the PGA Tour returned from a Covid shutdown last year. He only played seven official events and failed to score a top 10 finish to drop to 44th place in the world as he focused on playing in his signature tournament – the Masters – in April .
He is linked with Sam Snead for a record 82 Career Tour victories; another would make him the most successful golfer of all time. He’s also won 15 major tournaments, three behind Jack Nicklaus’ record in the category.
Barbara and I have just heard of Tiger’s accident and like everyone else, we are deeply concerned. We would like to offer him our heartfelt support and prayers during this difficult time. Please join us in wishing Tiger a successful operation and all the best for a full recovery. Woods’ frequent slide and fellow master Phil Mickelson also tweeted, saying, « We’re all drawing for you, Tiger. »
We all draw for you, tiger. We are so sorry that you and your family are going through this difficult time. Everyone hopes and prays for your full and speedy recovery.
While Woods is fortunate enough to just be alive and the focus right now is on his health, the accident reminded many of a similar tragedy to another happened to the greats of golf: Ben Hogan.
Sixty-two years ago this month, Hogan and his wife were hit head-on by a Greyhound bus in their car. Hogan sustained injuries to his pelvis, ankles, knees, ribs, collarbone, and shoulder. He was told he would be lucky enough to leave.
A year and a half later, still in pain, Hogan came back to win the US Open. He won 11 other tournaments, including five majors, one of which was The Masters. It’s a story Woods knows well.
“I think one of the biggest comebacks in all of sport is the gentleman who won here, Mr. Ben Hogan. I mean, he got hit by a bus and came back and won big championships, « said Woods three years ago – amid his own career comeback – in Augusta.
» The pain he had to endure, the things what he had to do to play and how hard it was for him to run, and he went 36 holes [last day for an 18-hole playoff] and won a US Open. «
Ben Hogan came back from a terrible car accident and hopefully Tiger Woods can too https://t.co/PGNVr8ThH7
That brings us to a tweet from former President Barack Obama. Obama called Woods » the GOAT « before noting, » If we’ve learned anything over the years, it’s important never to figure Tiger. «
I send my prayers to @TigerWoods and his family tonight – here’s a speedy recovery for the GOAT of Golf If we’ve learned anything over the years, it’s important never to figure Tiger.
Ref: https://deadline.com
