Tiger Woods was driving close to twice the 45mph speed limit when he crashed in February, according to a statement issued by Los Angeles County’s sheriff’s office today.
The 15-time major champion, 45, had to be extricated from the wreck of his car by firefighters and paramedics.
Woods’ car left the road at about 84-87mph and flipped several times during the accident in California.
Woods was released from hospital earlier this month after sustaining a number of serious injuries. There was no evidence Woods had been impaired by drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash.
LA County sheriff Alex Villanueva said: “The primary causal factor for this traffic collision was driving at a speed unsafe for the road conditions and the inability to negotiate the curve of the roadway.”
Woods’ car crossed the central reservation before coming to rest several hundred feet away, having hit a tree and rolling several times during the accident in Ranchos Palos Verdes. Woods required surgery after suffering open leg fractures, as well as injuries to his foot and ankle.
In addition to the speed at the first area of impact occurring at up to 87mph, sheriff Villanueva added the “estimated speed when the vehicle struck the tree was 75mph”.
LASD Captain James Powers said: “The car’s so-called ‘black box’ data recorder showed Woods engaged the accelerator and never applied the brake during the incident. That could indicate he may have mistakenly hit the wrong pedal while trying to control the car. It’s believed that when you panic or you have some sort of sudden interruption while you’re driving, your initial thought is to hit the brake and it’s believed he may have done that but hit the accelerator.”
There were were no charges issued or fines given because there were no witnesses to the incident and no other cars or people were involved.
Woods tweeted his thanks on Wednesday to those who assisted his rescue, adding: “I will continue to focus on my recovery and family, and thank everyone for the overwhelming support and encouragement I’ve received throughout this very difficult time.”