Driving at an unsafe speed was the cause of the car accident involving iconic American golfer, Tiger Woods, investigators revealed on Wednesday.
According to Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, Woods was driving between 84 and 87 mph [some 140 kilometres per hour] and the limit was 45 mph.
"I know there’s some saying somehow he received special or preferential treatment of some kind, that is absolutely false. There was no signs of impairment. Our primary concern at the scene of the collision was his safety", Villanueva added during the press conference.
As no signs of drug or alcohol impairment were found, detectives did not seek search warrants for the golfer's blood samples to be screened.
Los Angeles Sheriff’s Capt. James C. Powers also said that, according to the car's black box, Woods pressed accelerator pedal at the time of the crash, with no evidence pointing at braking efforts.
"There was no evidence of braking throughout this collision," Powers said. "It is speculated and believed that Tiger Woods inadvertently hit the accelerator instead of the brake pedal causing that 99% grading on the accelerator pedal."
Last week, it was announced that the cause of the crash had been discovered, but officials noted it would be revealed later due to privacy concerns.
After the press conference, Woods released a statement, expressing gratitude for everyone participating in assisting him after the crash.
"I will continue to focus on my recovery and family, and thank everyone for overwhelming support and encouragement I've received throughout this very difficult time", he said.
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) April 7, 2021
The crash occurred in late February, leaving the golfer severely injured and hospitalized after surgery. Woods' car hit the curb, flipped and crashed into a tree at an extremely high speed.
