American golf great Tiger Woods is “awake, responsive and recovering in his hospital room” after undergoing long surgical procedures on his lower right leg and ankle, the Harbor-UCLA Medical Centre in California said on Wednesday in a statement on Woods’s social media handles.
Woods had suffered a violent solo car crash on a steep, downhill suburban road in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
“Mr. Woods suffered significant orthopedic injuries to his right lower extremity that were treated during emergency surgery by orthopedic trauma specialists at Harbor-UCLA Medical Centre, a level 1 trauma center,” the facilities MD, chief medical officer, and interim CEO Anish Mahajan said in the statement.
“Comminuted open fractures affecting both the upper and lower portions of the tibia and fibula bones were stabilized by inserting a rod into the tibia. Additional injuries to the bones of the foot and ankle were stabilized with a combination of screws and pins. Trauma to the muscle and soft-tissue of the leg required the surgical release of the covering of the muscles to relieve pressure due to swelling,” Mahajan said.
Woods’s representatives further said in the statement that the former world No.1 is recovering in his room.
Earlier, LA Sheriff’s Deputy Carlos Gonzalez, who was the first to arrive at the wreck, said that Woods was very fortunate to come out of the crash alive. “Tiger was able to speak to me lucidly,” Gonzalez said. Woods appeared “incredibly calm,” he said, likely because he was in shock.
Woods was on his way for a photo shoot with Discovery-owned GOLFTV, and was alone in his silver-colored SUV when he crashed a few minutes after 7 a.m. He crossed two oncoming lanes and rolled over several times before coming to a stop. No other cars were involved in the crash.
