Los Angeles County Fire Department chief Daryl Osby confirmed that Tiger Woods suffered injuries to both legs following a serious, single-vehicle rollover crash Tuesday.
Those injuries, as you may have heard, are not life-threatening despite the initial images that followed the crash.
"… The only thing I can tell you from my experience from working in public safety for the past four decades is anytime you're involved in single-vehicle accident like this, with rollover and that level of damage, and broken legs and lacerations, that you're going to be in severe pain," Osby told reporters during a press conference Tuesday night, as seen on ESPN.
ESPN had reported there was a possibility that Woods suffered two broken legs. Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg, also acknowledged that he suffered "multiple" leg injuries earlier in the day.
LA County Sheriff’s Deputy Carlos Gonzalez, who was the first deputy on scene, said that he observed the injuries and that Woods was not able to stand under his own power. Gonzalez, however, said he "couldn't speak to nature of the injuries" and he's not a trained professional.
Gonzalez explained how Woods did not seem concerned with his injuries, but noted that is common in car accidents as those involved frequently are too in shock. Woods was extricated from his car and put on a stretcher, according to Gonzalez.
Osby said that Woods was conscious at the scene, and his condition made it so he could be transported to a trauma center further away, rather than the closest facility.
"The fact of the matter is he was in serious condition, but was stable enough to transport to a trauma center," Osby told reporters. "If the injuries were more dramatic and they couldn’t control an air way, they would have transported him to the nearest facility.
"But the fact that he was stable enough to be transported a hospital further away, which was the most appropriate hospital because of the nature of the injuries, the nature of the incident, says that it was very serious injury, he met trauma center criteria, but he wasn't so serious that he needed to be transported to the nearest hospital for immediate life-saving procedures," Osby added.
Osby further noted how it was an axe that was used to pry Woods out of his vehicle, not the Jaws of Life as first reported.
