Tiger Woods‘ February crash was caused by excessive speed, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday.
Woods’ SUV was traveling from 84 to 87 mph on a downhill stretch of road outside Los Angeles that had a speed limit of 45 mph. The SUV was going 75 mph when it hit a tree, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said.
No traffic citations were issued.
Authorities said there was no evidence of impairment or of distracted driving, so they didn’t have probable cause to get those warrants. Investigators, however, did search the SUV’s data recorder, known as a black box.
Villanueva blamed the Feb. 23 crash solely on excessive speed and Woods’ loss of control behind the wheel. Sheriff’s Capt. James Powers, who oversees the sheriff’s station closest to the crash site, said there was no evidence that the golfer braked throughout the wreck and that it’s believed Woods inadvertently hit the accelerator instead of the brake pedal.
“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.
Detectives did not seek search warrants for the athlete’s blood samples, which could have been screened for drugs or alcohol, or his cellphone. Sheriff’s officials said Woods told deputies that he had not ingested medication or alcohol before the crash.
“Those questions were asked and answered,” Powers said.
Woods tweeted a statement after the news conference thanking those who helped him immediately following his crash and those who have supported him since since the accident. He said he is continuing “to focus on my recovery and family.”
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) April 7, 2021
