Heading down a notoriously
dangerous stretch of road in the Rolling Hills
Estates community in Los Angeles County, Woods'
car reached speeds of 84 to 87 mph (135-140 kph)
when he lost control along a curve that has been
the site of 14 other accidents, Sheriff Alex
Villanueva said at a news conference. The speed
limit was 45 mph (72 kph).
The sport utility vehicle (SUV) was going 75 mph
(120 kph) when it hit a tree, Villanueva said.
There was no evidence that Woods, 45, was
impaired or that he had consumed drugs or
alcohol, the sheriff added.
The car's so-called "black box" data recorder
showed that Woods engaged the accelerator and
never applied the brake during the incident,
said LASD Captain James Powers.
That could indicate that he may have mistakenly
hit the wrong pedal while trying to control the
car, Powers said.
"It’s believed that when you panic or you have
some sort of sudden interruption while you’re
driving, your initial thought is to hit the
brake and it’s believed he may have done that
but hit the accelerator," Powers said.
The one-car crash left the 82-time PGA Tour
winner with a fractured right leg and shattered
ankle, and stunned the world of sport and
beyond, with former Presidents Donald Trump and
Barack Obama among those who offered support.
Woods was treated at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
as well as Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
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 Woods was not cited for driving
at excessive speeds because there were no
witnesses to the incident, which involved only
his car, Villanueva said. "The
decision not to issue a citation will be the
exact same thing for anyone in this room who
went through the same situation - a solo traffic
collision, there's no witnesses, (it's)
infraction only, and we're not going to issue a
citation on an infraction not committed in a
peace officer's presence or independent
witnesses," he said.
 On Twitter, Woods said on Wednesday that he had
been informed by the sheriff's department that
it had closed the investigation. The golfer
expressed gratitude to those who had helped him,
including passersby who called the 911 emergency
service, and paramedics who rushed him to the
hospital.
"I will continue to focus on my recovery and
family, and thank everyone for the overwhelming
support and encouragement I've received
throughout this very difficult time," said
Woods, who will miss this week's Masters while
recovering from the crash.
(Reporting by Sharon Bernstein and Maria
CaspaniEditing by Jan Harvey, Peter Graff and
Howard Goller)
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