Tiger Woods was reportedly running late for a photoshoot when he drove away from the hotel he was staying at. Chief correspondent Jim Moret went to the scene of the crash with veteran accident reconstruction specialist Jonathan Cherny.
Tiger Woods remains in the hospital recovering from surgery following Tuesday’s devastating rollover car crash near Los Angeles. The golf great, who was just getting over his fifth back operation, suffered significant injuries to his right leg.
Inside Edition’s Jim Moret retraced Woods’ moments before the crash. Woods was running late for a photo shoot when he left the luxurious Terranea Resort, where he was staying, around 7 a.m.
One witness said he appeared agitated and impatient, because his car was blocked by another guest unloading luggage. Then, he reportedly drove away so quickly, he almost hit another car.
At 7:06 a.m., a home surveillance camera captured Woods zipping by in a $71,000 silver SUV. Six minutes later, his car clipped the center median, demolished a sign that read, “Welcome to Rolling Hills Estates” and crossed into the oncoming lane, leaving a trail of debris.
A 3D graphic reconstruction shows how the car plowed into the bushes, rolling over several times before coming to rest on its side. The tumbling vehicle gouged out a trail in the undergrowth.
Moret went to the scene with veteran accident reconstruction specialist Jonathan Cherny.
The car that Woods’ was driving had a black box on board, which Cherny says can give you five seconds of pre-impact speed, how far the driver was stepping on the gas pedal and whether they were wearing a seat belt.
The L.A. County sheriff has already confirmed that no charges are expected against Woods.
“This remains an accident. An accident is not a crime. They do happen unfortunately,” Sheriff Alex Villanueva told Inside Edition.
Woods was driving a Genesis luxury SUV loaned to him by the sponsors of the PGA tournament he hosted last weekend. The Korean-built car has several high tech safety features, including 10 airbags, automatic braking, a stay-in-lane system, blind spot detection and evasive steering to avoid collisions.
Sheriff’s Deputy Carlos Gonzalez was first on scene after the accident.
“I asked him what his name was. He told me his name was Tiger, and at that moment, I immediately recognized him. I asked him if he knew where he was, what time of day, just to make sure he was oriented,” Gonzalez said at a press conference.
Claudia Gania was woken up by the sickening sound of the crash. She told Inside Edition that stretch of road is a notorious death trap.
“It's hard to control your car going downhill on a curve. And by the time you reach my house is when you lose control,” she said.
An ax and a pry bar were used to rescue Woods through the shattered windshield. His mangled cell phone was still attached to the charger. Woods was taken to the hospital and underwent emergency surgery for multiple leg injuries.
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