Tiger Woods in 'good spirits' after treatment for car crash injuries as firefighters recall cutting SUV with ax
In a statement posted by the team of legendary golfer Tiger Woods, the athlete is in "good spirits" and on his way to recovery post-surgery following what the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department termed a "single-vehicle roll-over traffic collision" on February 23 in Southern California. Woods suffered major injuries that included fractures to his tibia and fibula. A metal rod was inserted in his tibia with screws and pins to stabilize his foot and ankle.
“Tiger has been moved to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and received follow-up procedures on his injuries this morning. The procedures were successful and he is now recovering and in good spirits,” read a message posted by his Twitter account. “Tiger and his family want to thank you all for the wonderful support and messages they have received over the past few days. We will not have any further updates at this time.”
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It was earlier reported that the golfer was conscious in the aftermath of the crash when he was being rescued through the front windshield of his SUV, which crashed on a downhill stretch of road in Rancho Palos Verdes. The collision was initially reported as a traffic collision with a person trapped inside a vehicle. It took the firefighters 12 minutes to rescue Woods and rush him to Harbor UCLA Medical Center, where he later underwent surgery for his leg fractures.
Firefighters later admitted that they had no idea that the person who was stuck inside the vehicle was Woods, noting that to them he was “just another patient". Captain Joe Peña said he didn’t know who was in the car until a sheriff’s deputy told him. “His identity really didn’t matter in what we do,” Captain Jeane Barrett added. Cole Gomoll, a firefighter with Fire Station 106 in Rolling Hills Estates described how he used a 6-pound ax to chop up Woods’ 2021 Genesis SUV. Only then did he spot the famous athlete trapped inside and tangled up in his seatbelt, New York Post reported.
Gomoll said that Woods did not receive any extra-treatment because he was a celebrity. Anyone in the athlete's position would have received similar treatment. “He’s just another patient,” Gomoll told the Associated Press on Friday.
We previously reported that the boyfriend of Woods' niece has said the family's top priority is to allow the legend, who moved to another hospital, to recover and become a dad again as soon as possible. New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Hicks, who is dating Cheyenne Woods, shared an update on Thursday, two days after Woods crashed his car near Los Angeles. “I think right now, we’re trying to make sure with everything that’s going on with the surgeries and stuff, that he’s just gonna be healthy again,” Hicks said, according to New York Post. “Making sure he can be a father again and being able to enjoy and run around and play with his kids is what’s important right now.”