Police may seek blood test, phone records in Woods’ case

Police investigating Tiger Woods’ horrific car crash in Los Angeles may request a blood sample from the golfing legend to definitively rule out drugs and alcohol being a factor in the accident.

Detectives have announced the crash was ’’purely an accident’’ and they did not anticipate criminal charges being brought against the 45-year-old, but they have been accused of jumping to conclusions too early and may now also request his telephone data to see if he was on the phone or otherwise distracted.

Alex Villanueva, the sheriff of Los Angeles County, said clues about the cause could come from Woods’ wrecked vehicle.

‘‘We’re hoping . . . we’ll have some information about the speed,’’ Villanueva said. ‘‘It was maybe a factor in this accident.’’

The 15-time major winner, who is still recovering in hospital after an operation on his shattered right leg, could face a low-level charge known as an infraction if investigators conclude that he was speeding or not paying attention.

Joe Giacalone, a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a retired New York police sergeant, said it was ‘‘premature’’ for Villanueva to determine the crash was an accident just a day later.

‘‘The blood test could give us a whole other insight,’’ Giacalone said, noting that some drugs were not necessarily detectable by observation.

‘‘Because it’s Tiger Woods, people are going to demand answers. You have to dot your I’s and cross your T’s.’’

Crash investigations typically include interviews of first responders and bystanders as well as inspections of the road and the vehicle, including photographing and measuring the scene and checking to see if the vehicle had defects or malfunctions, according to William Peppard, a retired Bergen County, New Jersey, police detective who has served as a crash investigator.

Peppard said in typical cases with no immediate indications the driver was impaired, detectives might not seek blood samples if the crash did not injure anyone else or damage property.

‘‘Take the celebrity out of it – it’s a matter of resources and time,’’ he said.