Tiger Woods escapes with minor injuries after car crash
Tiger Woods had a narrow escape today when his car smashed outside his Florida mansion with the superstar golfer sustaining minor injuries before being released from a city hospital.
The 33-year-old golfer, one of the world's richest sportsperson with an estimated earning of over USD 1 billion, suffered cuts and bruises to his face and nose and was treated in the North Central Hospital in Ococee before being released in good health condition.
"Tiger Woods was in a minor car accident outside his home last night. He was admitted, treated and released today in good condition," the hospital in Florida said in a statement.
The statement which was also posted on the golf star's official website added : "We appreciate very much everyone's thoughts and well wishes."
Wood crashed into a fire hydrant and then hit a nearby tree after leaving his property in the Isleworth community near Windermere, a suburb of Orlando, according to Florida Highway Patrol.
Hearing the collision from inside the house, his wife, Elin, rushed out and had to use a golf club to break the back window of their SUV to rescue him.
Woods was found outside his vehicle in a semi-conscious state when police arrived on the scene. Woods reportedly had facial injuries as he was bleeding from the nose and cuts to both lips.
The Patrol officials also said that the vehicle was not travelling above 33 mph since no air bags deployed. The investigation is on into the matter, but use of alcohol has been ruled out.
FHP spokeswoman Kim Montes said that the accident happened at around 2:25 am.
Earlier, the FHP had said that Woods was transported to the hospital in "serious condition," and Windermere Mayor Gary Bruhn said that Woods suffered "some facial lacerations" in the accident.
Windermere Police Chief Daniel Saylor said Woods had lacerations to his lips, and blood in his mouth; officers treated Woods for about 10 minutes until an ambulance arrived.
Saylor said that enough though Woods was semi-conscious he was mumbling something.
"He was mumbling, but didn't say anything coherent," he said.
A 14-time major winner, Woods was set to play his last tournament of the year at the Chevron World Challenge at Thousand Oaks, California, from December 3-6, an event he hosts annually.
He was scheduled to hold a news conference Tuesday in California.
According to Forbes business magazine, Woods is the first athlete to have broken through the billion dollars earnings mark.
he became the first man to win the US Open, the British Open, the USPGA and the Masters on a roll at the age of 25, to make him the first simultaneous holder of all four major championship titles at the same time.
Earlier this month, Woods landed the Australian Masters but had returned home for a fortnight's break prior to playing in the World Challenge next week.
This year he won eight titles after staying away from the greens for eight months, recovering from reconstructive surgery on his left knee. However he failed to win a major.
Woods is married to a former Swedish model and the couple have two children, Sam Alexis, born in 2007, and Charlie Axel, born earlier this year.
