A man found Tiger Woods unconscious in a mangled SUV after the golf star crashed the vehicle in Southern California, authorities said in court documents obtained Friday.
The man, who lives near the site in Rolling Hills Estates, heard the crash and walked to the SUV, Los Angeles County sheriff´s Deputy Johann Schloegl wrote in an affidavit.
The affidavit lays out how he was first found by a neighbor, unconscious, but that he was awake by the time cops arrived.
The man told deputies that Woods would not respond to his questions. The first deputy on the scene, Carlos Gonzalez, has said Woods was able to talk to him and answer basic questions.
Tiger Woods was found unconscious by a passerby after his SUV crash, but by the time police were on the scene he was able to speak
Forensic experts have speculated that Woods may have been asleep at the wheel. Detectives are looking at data from the so-called “black box” of Tiger Woods’ SUV to get a clearer picture of what occurred
Authorities have not previously said that Woods was unconscious. Authorities have recovered a black box from the SUV to determine if a crime was committed
Tiger Woods told police he didn’t even remember driving before he crashed
Woods told deputies – both at the scene and later at the hospital – that he did not know how the crash occurred and didn´t remember driving, according to the affidavit.
Law enforcement has not previously disclosed that Woods had been unconscious following the crash. Officials had said earlier that the SUV had rolled over, though Schloegl’s description of the crash did not include that.
The information came in a statement of probable cause requesting that a search warrant be approved for the Genesis SUV´s data recorder, known as a black box.
Schloegl requested data from February 22 and February 23. The crash occurred around 7am on February 23.
‘I believe the data will explain how/why the collision occurred,’ Schloegl wrote.
There were no skid marks on the road where Tiger crashed which suggests he did not brake
Sheriff´s representatives have declined to say what was discovered in the recorder and did not immediately respond to an additional request for comment Friday.
The man mentioned in the court documents did not immediately return requests for comment from The Associated Press.
On Thursday Tiger Woods told police he didn’t even remember driving before he crashed, amid growing questions over the golfer’s condition before the accident last week which smashed his leg, and suspicion over whether or not he was asleep at the wheel.
Woods told police immediately after the crash that he didn’t remember the accident but it has since emerged in police reports that he also told them he did not remember driving in the moments beforehand.
He had been driving for 12 minutes before he flipped his car on a road in Rancho Palos Verdes on February 23 while on his way to a golf course to film a show with NFL stars.
‘The deputies asked him how the collision occurred’ at the scene of the crash, according to the affidavit.
‘Driver said he did not know and did not even remember driving… Driver was treated for his injuries at the hospital and was asked there again how the collision occurred.
‘He repeated that he did not know and did not remember driving.’
According to TMZ, the warrant was signed by a judge who believes there is suspicion of misdemeanor reckless driving. Because there were no skid marks at the site, it suggests he never braked or tried to stop himself from crossing over the central reservation then flipping over.
Woods was driving a 2021 GV80, made by the Hyundai luxury brand, as the tournament host of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club.
The SUV went off a Los Angeles County road and crashed on a downhill stretch notorious for car accidents.
Forensic experts say he was likely asleep at the wheel and that is why he didn’t try to stop the vehicle from crashing.
Police say Woods was travelling at high speed when he hit a raised median, smashed through a wooden road sign, splintered a tree and then rolled his SUV off the wrong side of the road where it came to rest at the bottom of an embankment
Dr. Andre Campbell, a trauma surgeon at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, said it’s not unusual for patients in major vehicle crashes to lose consciousness or suffer memory lapses – especially if they sustained head injuries.
‘This is a credit to modern engineering, really, that he´s alive,’ said Campbell, who is not involved in Woods’ treatment and spoke generally about trauma patients.
Campbell said the loss of consciousness could last just a few seconds or a couple minutes, or even a few hours. The memory loss may never return, he said.
‘A lot of times people will tell you, ‘I don´t remember what happened,´’ he said.
Sheriff Alex Villanueva has said Woods was driving alone in good weather, there was no evidence of impairment, and the crash was ‘purely an accident.’
Schloegl previously told USA Today that he did not seek a search warrant for Woods´ blood samples, which could be screened for drugs and alcohol. In 2017, Woods checked himself into a clinic for help dealing with prescription drug medication after a DUI charge in Florida.
The crash injured Woods´ right leg, requiring a lengthy surgery to stabilize shattered tibia and fibula bones in his right leg. A combination of screws and pins were used for injuries in the ankle and foot.
It was the 10th surgery of his career, and came two months after a fifth back surgery.
Through it all, Woods has never gone an entire year without playing, dating back to his first PGA Tour event as a 16-year-old in high school.
The pro-golfer has a history of vehicle crashes.
In 2017, he crashed in Jupiter, Florida, while driving with a cocktail of prescription pain medication in his system.
He had a severe dependency on pain killers after undergoing brutal back surgeries.
Tiger had his most recent back surgery in December this year and it has prevented him from playing competitively.
The day he crashed, he had just completed a busy weekend of commercial work, hosting the PGA Genesis Invitational.
He had filmed one day of content for GolfTV the day before the crash and was on his way to film another.
In this Feb. 23, 2021, file photo a vehicle rests on its side after a rollover accident involving golfer Tiger Woods along a road in the Rancho Palos Verdes suburb of Los Angeles
A law enforcement officer looks over a damaged vehicle following a rollover accident involving golfer Tiger Woods in the Rancho Palos Verdes suburb of Los Angeles
Tiger Woods smiles during the winner’s ceremony after winning the Zozo Championship PGA Tour at the Accordia Golf Narashino country club in Inzai, east of Tokyo, Japan on Oct. 28, 2019