Investigators at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department executed a search warrant to obtain data on the “black box” of the luxury SUV involved in the accident that left Tiger Woods seriously injured last week.
“Traffic collision investigators are continuing their investigation into the cause of the collision involving Mr. Woods,” Rep. Trina Schrader told NBC News in a statement. “On March 1, 2021, they executed a search warrant to retrieve data from the vehicles ‘black box’. There is currently no additional information about the recovered data. “
Schrader added that obtaining a warrant for the data on the “black box” of a crashed vehicle was the “standard procedure”.
The department will not seek a warrant for Woods’ blood to determine whether he was under the influence of drugs during the February 23 car accident in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, USA Today Sports reported.
Sheriff Alex Villanueva said during a press conference on the day of the accident that accidents are not uncommon in the area where Woods’ Genesis GV80 overturned, due to the slopes and curves of the road. Woods was the driver and the vehicle’s sole occupant.
“I will say that it is fortunate that Mr. Woods was able to get out of this alive, because this is a stretch of road subject to accidents,” added Sheriff Carlos Gonzalez, one of the first to respond to the scene. “We saw a series of accidents on this stretch of the road.”
Firefighters used an ax and a crowbar to pull him out of the vehicle, where he was being held down because the steering wheel had been placed on his lap.
The golfer underwent emergency surgery at Harbor-UCLA shortly after the accident. Doctors inserted a rod into his right leg and pins and screws were used to stabilize the ankle and foot injuries.
Woods has already been transferred to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for recovery.
Woods, 45, who lives in Jupiter, Florida, was in southern California over the weekend for the Genesis Invitational, which benefits his foundation. He is recovering from back surgery, his fifth operation, and has not played any tournaments this year.
The Woods team’s statements thanked fans for their support, and on Sunday Woods tweeted that golfers who wore a red shirt and black pants in their support were “really helping me through this difficult time”.
His team did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the latest investigation into the accident.
In 2017, Woods was arrested after being found sleeping at the wheel of his car. He had several painkillers and sleeping pills in his system; he said he was looking for relief from back pain.
Woods also crashed his Cadillac Escalade SUV into a fire hydrant and tree just after Thanksgiving Day 2009, outside his Florida home. The incident inadvertently revealed a bitter marital dispute with his wife at the time, Elin Nordegren, when a number of women confessed to having extramarital affairs with Woods.
A HBO documentary last month chronicled its meteoric rise and public shame in 2009 and 2010.
Woods is considered one of the greatest golfers in history. He won 82 tournaments, the most draws in a career with Sam Snead, and won 15 major championships, second only to Jack Nicklaus.
