Tiger gets free drop
87 mph before his crash, but no ticket
Tiger Woods clocked 87 mph right before nearly killing himself in a California crash that sent his car airborne — yet dodged so much as a speeding ticket from cops, authorities said Wednesday.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff ’s Department announced speed was to blame in the stunning wreck that left the PGA legend with serious leg injuries but added that he wouldn’t face any citations or charges.
“The primary casual factor for this traffic collision was driving at a speed unsafe for the road condition and the inability to negotiate the curve of the roadway,” said Sheriff Alex Villanueva at a press conference. Despite the 45 mph limit, Woods’ speeds ranged from 84 to 87 mph when he first slammed into a concrete barrier along Hawthorne Boulevard, a winding, four-lane thoroughfare in Rancho Palos Verdes known for its dangerousness.
His loaned Genesis GV80 then clipped a tree at 75 mph before it shot into the air and crashed into a hillside. “The impact of the vehicle when it hit the tree caused the vehicle to go airborne and do a somewhat pirouette, landing on its side,” said Capt. James Powers.
Woods, 45, was wearing a seat belt at the time, and all air bags deployed in the Feb. 23 crash.
The sheriff ’s officials went on the defensive Wednesday over the decision not to cite or charge Woods with speeding or reckless driving — saying there were no witnesses and the situation didn’t warrant it.
“Reckless driving — you have to have multiple violations in conjunction with one another,” Powers told reporters. “That did not exist here . . . and the speeding, there’s no independent witnesses regarding the speeding.”
Several times, Villanueva denied Woods got away scot-free because of his celebrity status.
“The decision to not issue a citation would be the exact same thing for anyone in this room who went through the same situation: Solo traffic collision, there’s no witnesses, an infraction only,” Villanueva said. “We’re not going to issue a citation in an infraction not committed in a peace officer’s presence or independent witness, period. So, any inference that somehow it’s special [treatment] is false.”
Central to the investigation was the vehicle’s so-called black box — an event data recorder — which picked up Woods’ speeds of between 82.02 mph and 86.99 mph with zero signs he attempted to brake. Still, the evidence was not enough to press charges.
“The event data recorder, that tells us what physically happened, but we need a human being to witness it,” Villanueva explained.
The data recorder also showed that there was “99 percent” acceleration and that Woods’ steering varied from -10 degrees to 55 degrees, on a 360-degree scale. That indicated the athlete may have been trying to “correct” his course on the road, though the movement could’ve also been from the impact itself, Powers explained.
The captain also addressed “speculation” the golfer accidentally hit the accelerator instead of the brake as he zoomed down the twisting road. “We don’t know that — he doesn’t have any recollection of the incident and, like I said, that’s a speculation,” Powers said.
Asked what Woods told investigators about the moments leading up to the wreck, Powers said, “The only statement I recall is he had a long day the day prior.”
Woods, who’s had issues with prescription drugs in the past, was not tested for drugs or alcohol that day because Villanueva said there was no probable cause. “There were no signs of impairment,” the sheriff said. Investigators also did not check to see if Woods was texting when he lost control.
Woods is recovering from multiple surgeries on his legs in Florida.