Tiger Woods Accident Official Cause Raises More Moot Questions
The official cause of Tiger Woods’s single-car accident in February 2021 has been announced by LA County Sherrif’s Department, citing a driving speed of nearly twice the posted limit (87 mph in a 45 mph zone). While this announcement should be taken as a case-closed matter (Tiger will also not be cited for any traffic violation, according to the statement), a few questions remain that will leave many fans skeptical.
[LA County] Sheriff Alex Villanueva blamed the Feb. 23 crash solely on excessive speed and Woods' loss of control behind the wheel.
"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," the sheriff told a news conference.
Woods was driving 84 to 87 mph (135 to 140 kph) in an area that had a speed limit of 45 mph (72 kph), Villanueva said.
Tiger had the option to waive his privacy to allow for the above information to be released, and it makes sense as to why he’d choose so. Rumors and speculation swirled from the moment news of the accident hit the news, fueled by what appeared to be a “different looking” Tiger the day before during a TV interview at the Genesis Invitational.
Fast-forward to now, some additional questions arise as to what standard operating procedures were followed in terms of how the crash site was immediately investigated and Tiger’s medical treatment thereafter. While I won’t pretend to be an expert in law enforcement procedures, I do have some knowledge about the medical treatment side of things.
In the evening of the accident, LA County Sheriff’s Department stated that, and I’m paraphrasing, there was “no indication of intoxication or impairment” at the scene. This is an important distinction that was made right from the start, although we wouldn’t immediately know why until now.
When EMTs or EMT-Paramedics arrive at the scene of an accident, a number of standard protocols are followed. This includes taking vital signs of the patient, assessing continued risk factors of the scene, and other critical measures to start treatment as soon as possible. For the vast majority of traumatic accidents, some type of pain reliever may be administered once the patient is stabilized, such as morphine. In order to do so safely, the emergency responders must know what’s already in the patient’s system.
EMT-Paramedics have the ability to do a blood draw and other invasive procedures in many instances of trauma for this purpose, among other reasons. This is different from a Basic EMT, who are limited in the scope of treatment they can provide due to training. It should also be noted that paramedic programs can differ from state to state, and sometimes between counties. This is also true for prehospital procedures, like blood draws.
Even if a blood draw wasn’t taken at the scene by an EMT-Paramedic, you can bet it would occur prior to any emergency surgery the patient would require (as was the case with Tiger). Anesthesiologists, for example, need to know what’s going on inside the patient’s blood stream prior to administering any sedatives prior to surgery.
We’ve now learned that Tiger told first responders that he had not taken any pain killers (likely prescribed to him post-back surgery months prior) or had consumed any alcohol prior to the accident. Coupled with the initial declaration by LA County of no signs of impairment, all signs point to this being a simple explanation of excessive speed on a dangerous stretch of road.
Furthermore — and any law enforcement experts reading this will keep me honest — any evidence from a blood draw conducted by medical personnel must be obtained by a warrant, and only if there was probable cause to suspect impairment. As mentioned above, this point becomes moot due to LA County’s initial statement.
While there may be more details surrounding Tiger Woods’s single-car accident we may never know, the important points remain: Tiger is alive, he’s recovering, and assuming a successful rehabilitation, we may be lucky enough to see him compete once again.
