LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Tiger Woods was driving at an “unsafe” speed nearly double the 45 mph limit when he crashed in California in February, Los Angeles County’s sheriff said Wednesday.
Woods’s SUV was travelling at up to 87 miles (140 kilometers) an hour before it flew off the road and flipped several times during the accident in Ranchos Palos Verdes, leaving the 15-time major champion with a shattered right leg.
“The primary causal factor for this traffic collision was driving at a speed unsafe for the road conditions and the inability to negotiate the curve of the roadway,” said Alex Villanueva.
“Estimated speeds at the first area of impact were 84 to 87 miles per hour.”
There were “no signs of impairment,” or evidence of any “distracted driving,” and Woods voluntarily allowed the results of the investigation to be made public, officials said.
Woods, 45, may have inadvertently hit the gas instead of the brakes upon losing control, Captain James Powers said, although Woods himself does not recall the incident.
Both officials said the golfer had not been given any special treatment, and that he was not cited for speeding because there were no witnesses or police present at the time. Woods will not face criminal charges.
The crash would have been investigated further “if there was a significant injury or fatality” and had involved another person, said Powers.
Investigators did not check Woods phone or test his bloodwork because there was “no evidence of any impairment or intoxication,” Powers told a press conference.
The serious leg injuries sustained by Woods have raised fears for the future of his astonishing career.
