[이미지출처=AP연합뉴스]
[아시아경제 조현의 기자] ‘Golf Emperor’ Tiger Woods injured both legs in a car rollover accident while driving. It is also predicted that a player’s life is in the worst crisis as he recently undergone a back surgery and then a leg injury.
According to local media such as the Associated Press, Woods was taken to a hospital in an accident while driving Hyundai’s Genesis GV80 in Los Angeles (LA) County, California at 7:12 am on the 23rd (local time).
The accident occurred on the road between Rolling Hills Estate and Rancho Palos Verdes, 32 kilometers south of downtown Los Angeles. This road is a four-lane, steep downhill curve section, with frequent accidents and the speed limit is 45 miles per hour (72 km).
The police said, “The car that Woods drove rolled over the median strip several times, hitting the curb and trees in the opposite lane, and stopped on a slope 9 meters from the road.” Regarding the cause of the accident, he said, “There is no evidence that Woods drove a car in a driving disorder.”
Woods injured his leg in this accident, but it is said that there is no harm in life. LA County’s Sheriff Alex Villanueva told a press conference that day, “The ankle was shattered and both legs were fractured together,” the Associated Press reported.
The front part of the vehicle and the bumper were greatly damaged by impact, but it was confirmed that it did not directly collide with another vehicle. There was no fellow passenger. The police and fire departments who were dispatched to the scene rescued Woods through the windshield of the vehicle using tools such as an ax and chisel.
Sheriff Villanueva said, “We haven’t seen any signs that Woods has been affected by drugs or smells of alcohol,” he said. “But it seems to run relatively faster than normal.” In fact, local media reported that no’skid mark’, which is a native language of another language, that occurs during sudden braking at the accident site has been found.
Woods recently suffered this accident while undergoing his fifth back surgery and rehabilitation. lately After visiting Los Angeles as the organizer of the Genesis Invitational, he attended the awards ceremony and filmed a golf TV program.
CNN broadcast predicted that “Woods has suffered from frequent injuries and surgery, and in the worst case, Woods’ golf career could end.” The AFP news agency also said, “Woods’ life as an amazing golf player is in crisis in a serious car accident.”
Woods’ car accident is not the first time. In November 2009, while driving in Florida, he struck a fire hydrant and a tree near his home and was taken to the hospital. Woods, who suffered a tear in her lips at the time, was treated at the hospital and discharged, but it was known that she drove while taking drugs.
The accident sparked a feud between the Woods and the couple, and the scandal that Woods had an affair with several women broke out in earnest. After that, Woods lost its major corporate sponsorship and was unable to compete in golf for five months.
In May 2017, while sleeping with a car stopped on a road near his home in Florida, he was caught by the police and arrested for drunk driving. At the time, a police investigation revealed that no alcohol was detected in Woods, and Woods explained that sleeping in the car was a reaction to prescription drugs such as pain relievers.
Meanwhile, Woods has borrowed the GV80 from Hyundai Motor Company during his recent stay in Los Angeles as the organizer of the PGA Genesis Invitational Competition held last weekend with the support of Hyundai Motor Company. The police said that the inside of the SUV car was barely damaged even in the case of a rollover accident. “It is lucky that Woods survived.”
Sheriff Villanueva said, “The front part of the vehicle and the bumper were completely destroyed, but the interior was almost intact, so it served as a cushion for Woods to survive,” he said. “Otherwise, it would have been a fatal accident.”
Reporter Jo Hyun’s [email protected]