Tiger Woods crash: Forensic experts say he may have fallen asleep at the wheel

Forensic car accident experts have speculated on what may have happened to golfing star Tiger Woods before his shocking crash.

Tiger Woods may have fallen asleep at the wheel while driving before his horrific crash, forensic car accident experts have warned.

The golf great, who is still recovering in hospital was driving a 2021 Genesis GV80 luxury SUV alone when he veered across the median strip, went off the road and hit a tree — causing the car to roll over.

Experts told USA Today Woods’ injuries in his lower right leg indicate he was applying the brake at the time the crash.

It also suggests he braked late into the collision sequence.

“To me, this is like a classic case of falling asleep behind the wheel, because the road curves and his vehicle goes straight,” Jonathan Cherney, a consultant and former police detective told USA Today.

“It’s a drift off the road, almost like he was either unconscious, suffering from a medical episode or fell asleep and didn’t wake up until he was off the road and that’s where the brake application came in.”

A tow truck operator secures the car that golf legend Tiger Woods was driving when seriously injured in a rollover accident on February 23, 2021 in Rolling Hills Estates, California. Picture: Getty

LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva has previously said there were no skid marks to indicate braking — but the vehicle had anti-lock brakes.

Accident reconstruction expert Felix Lee from the Expert Institute, also told USA Today even if Woods slammed on the brakes, “you wouldn’t necessarily see tire marks”.

“My feeling is that speed wasn’t that much of an issue,” he said.

“It was just some kind of inattention that caused the kerb strike.”

Rami Hashish, principal at the National Biomechanics Institute, which investigates accidents, told USA Today: “It was suggesting he wasn’t paying attention at all.”

The speed limit on that stretch is 45 mph (72.4km/h).” You can walk away with a broken leg from 45 to 50 mph (72.4km/h-80.4km/h,” he said.

“If you’re hitting 60, 65 (90.5km/h- and you’re hitting a stationary object, your likelihood of death increases exponentially.”

The vehicle driven by golfer Tiger Woods lies on its side in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. Picture: AFP

If he was speeding at 80 mph (128.7km/h), “he wouldn’t be having an open fracture in this leg — he’d be dead.

“This stretch of road is challenging, and if you’re not paying attention, you can see what happens,” Villanueva said adding Woods would not be charged and it was “purely an accident” on his early assessment.

However, the experts said the SUV’s “black box” computer could reveal steering, braking or acceleration actions and help determine the cause of the crash.

“There’s no real accident unless it’s a true medical emergency,” Mr Cherney said.

“There’s always some level of negligence, whether it’s simple negligence like looking down at your phone or changing the radio station that starts the whole collision sequence.”

A tow truck recovers the vehicle driven by golfer Tiger Woods. Picture: AFP

Woods tweeted thanks on Sunday for a show of support from fellow pro golfers.

“It is hard to explain how touching today was when I turned on the TV and saw all the red shirts,” the 15-time major champion said in a tweet.

“To every golfer and every fan, you are truly helping me get through this tough time.” A host of golfers at the World Golf Championships Workday Championship in Bradenton, Florida — and quite a few at the LPGA Tour event in Orlando, as well — took the course for their final rounds wearing Woods’s signature Sunday colours of red and black.

The PGA Tour tweeted a picture of the maintenance staff at its Puerto Rico Open on Sunday all turned out in red and black.

Former world number one Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and Tony Finau at the WGC and Phil Mickelson at a PGA Tour Champions event were some of the players who turned out wearing Woods’s iconic colour combo.

“I guess for us it’s just a gesture to let him know that we’re thinking about him and we’re rooting for him,” McIlroy said. “Obviously things are looking a little better today than they were on Tuesday, but he’s still got always to go.

Tiger Woods is still in hospital. Picture: AFP

“He’s got a huge recovery ahead of him. But I think (it’s) just for everyone to show their appreciation for what he means to us out here.

“If there was no Tiger Woods, I just think the tour and the game of golf in general would be in a worse place.

“He’s meant a lot to us, he still does mean a lot to us and I think that was just a little way to show that.” Collin Morikawa lifted the trophy at Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, becoming joining Woods as the only players to win both a major title and a WGC crown before turning 25.

“Tiger means everything to me,” Morikawa said. “Yes, he had the crash and thankfully he’s okay and will make a quick recovery.

“But I don’t think we say thank you enough, so I want to say thank you to Tiger.” Woods, 45, underwent hours of emergency surgery to repair what doctors called “significant orthopaedic injuries” to his lower right leg and ankle on Tuesday after his early morning crash on a steep, winding road in suburban Los Angeles.

He was transferred to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles for further treatment and recovery on Wednesday night and on Friday was reported in a statement posted on Twitter to be in good spirits after follow-up treatment for his injuries.

Woods faces a lengthy recovery from his injuries, which include open fractures affecting both the upper and lower portions of his lower right leg, along with injuries to the bones of the foot and ankle.

Woods was already recovering from his fifth back surgery — and hoping he would be able to prepare for a run at the Masters in April — when the crash occurred.

Originally published as Tiger Woods crash: Forensic experts say he may have fallen asleep at the wheel