The first deputy sheriff in Los Angeles who arrived on the scene after Tiger Woods was involved in a car crash said the golf legend was ‘bright and calm’ and did not realize how serious his injuries were during the crash.
In an interview Wednesday with NBC’s “TODAY” show, Deputy Carlos Gonzalez told Craig Melvin that when he got there, the first thing he noticed was a vehicle about 40 feet from the driveway.
“The neighbor who called 911 immediately told me, ‘Deputy, I think someone is still in the vehicle,'” he said. “So I run, and I can get my torso through the windshield.”
It was dark in the vehicle and all the deputy saw was a pair of eyes.
“My first role as a first respondent is to judge the passenger, the occupants, of the vehicle and I want to keep them calm as well,” Gonzalez said. “Therefore I ask him, ‘Can you call me your first name?’ He looks at me and he says, “Tiger.” ‘
“And it took me half a second, but I saw his face and I thought, ‘Oh yeah, you’re Tiger Woods,’ he continued. “But of course I have a job to do, so I immediately went in with assessment questions to determine what his condition was and what his mental condition was at the time.”
Gonzalez said he did not have the tools to get Woods out of the vehicle himself, and he kept the golf star company while the two waited for first aid. According to the deputy, Woods ‘seemed calm’, as if he was not in distress.
“I kept him talking,” he said. “I asked him basic things to determine his state of mind, like do you know where you are now? Do you know what day it is? You only know to see if he is aware of what happened.”
The deputy said Woods could not stand on his own and appeared unaware of ‘how seriously he was injured’, referring to a ‘mixture of adrenaline and shock’.
Asked by Melvin if a toxicological report had been ordered, Gonzalez said there was no evidence of attenuation and that he was not aware of any reports.
Woods crashed his Genesis GV80 at 7:12 a.m. PST on the border of Rolling Hills Estates and Rancho Palos Verdes, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department said in a statement Tuesday.
The cause of the accident is still being investigated. Sheriff Alex Villanueva said during a Tuesday news conference that accidents are not uncommon in the area due to the downhills and curves on the road.
“Fortunately, the inside was more or less intact, which gave him the pillow to survive,” Villanueva said. “Otherwise it would have been a fatal accident.”
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Woods’ team said in a statement Tuesday night that he was “awake, responding and recovering” after a stick was placed in his leg during surgery.
Anish Mahajan, chief medical officer and interim chief executive of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, said the 45-year-old Woods “sustained significant orthopedic injuries at his lower right end.”
The bar was inserted into his tibia to stabilize fractures, and screws and pins were used to stabilize injuries to the foot and ankle, according to the statement.
Gonzalez said the injuries could have been worse, which Woods attributed to the seat belt he wore during the crash.
“He went through something very traumatic and I’m sure he’s experiencing a lot of pain, so I hope for a speedy recovery for him,” he said.
Woods is considered one of the greatest golfers in history. His 82 tournaments win the most in a career with Sam Snead, and his 15 majors are second to Jack Nicklaus.
