Investigators at the Sheriff’s Department in Los Angeles County conducted a search warrant to retrieve the data from the ‘black box’ in the luxury sports utility vehicle involved in the crash that seriously injured Tiger Woods last week.
“Traffic collision investigators are continuing the investigation into the cause of the collision in which Mr. Woods was involved,” Deputy Trina Schrader said in a statement to NBC News. “On March 1, 2021, they executed a warrant to retrieve data from the ‘black box’ of the vehicle. At present, there is no additional information regarding the recovered data.”
Schrader added that obtaining a warrant for an accident vehicle’s black box ‘data was’ standard procedure’.
The department will not seek a warrant for Woods’ blood to determine if he was under the influence during the single-vehicle crash on Feb. 23 in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, USA Today Sports.
Sheriff Alex Villanueva told a news conference on the day of the crash that accidents are not uncommon in the area where Woods’ Genesis GV80 overturned, due to the downhill slopes and bends on the road. Woods was the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle.
“I would say that it is very fortunate that Mr Woods was able to get out of this alive, because it is an insensitive stretch of road,” added Sheriff’s Deputy Carlos Gonzalez, one of the first responders at the scene. “We’ve seen a number of accidents on this stretch of road.”
Firefighters used an ax and a crowbar to cut him out of the vehicle, where he was being held because the steering wheel was pushed into his lap.
The golfer had emergency surgery at Harbor-UCLA shortly after the accident. Doctors inserted a bar into his right leg, and pins and screws were used to stabilize his ankle and foot injuries.
Woods, meanwhile, was transferred to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for recovery.
Woods, 45, who is based in Jupiter, Florida, was in Southern California over the weekend for the Genesis invitation, which benefits his foundation. He is recovering from back surgery, his fifth surgery, and has yet to play in a tournament this year.
Statements from Woods’ team thanked fans for their support, and on Sunday, Woods tweeted that golfers who wore a red shirt and black pants in support of him were really helping me get through this difficult time.
His team did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the latest investigation into the crash.
In 2017, Woods was arrested after he was found asleep behind the wheel of his car. He had various painkillers and sleeping pills in his system; he said he was looking for relief from back pain.
Woods also crashed his Cadillac Escalade sports utility vehicle into a fire hydrant and a tree just after Thanksgiving 2009 outside his Florida home. The incident accidentally revealed a bitter marital dispute with his wife, Elin Nordegren, at the time, as a crowd of women came forward to admit they had an extramarital affair with Woods.
An HBO documentary last month described its meteoric rise and public disgrace in 2009 and 2010.
Woods is considered one of the greatest golfers in history. He won 82 tournaments, most of which ended in a career with Sam Snead, and he won 15 major championships, second next to Jack Nicklaus.
