Tiger Woods badly hurt in car crash, expected to survive

Tiger Woods was rushed to a Los Angeles hospital on Tuesday after suffering multiple injuries when his car went off a road and rolled down a steep hillside, requiring the “jaws of life” to extricate the golf great from the wreckage, Reuters reported.

Woods’ injuries were not believed to be life threatening, ESPN reported, citing police sources, despite video footage of the crash scene that showed his dark gray Genesis sport utility vehicle badly crumpled at the bottom of the hill, windows smashed.

According to Reuters, Woods, 45, was the sole occupant of the car when it crashed at about 7:12 a.m. near the suburban communities of Rolling Hills Estates and Rancho Palos Verdes, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a written statement.

“Tiger Woods was in a single-car accident this morning in California where he suffered multiple leg injuries. He is currently in surgery and we thank you for your privacy and support,” Woods’ agent, Mark Steinberg, said in a statement given to Golf Digest journalist Daniel Rapaport.

Sheriff’s deputy Joana Warren told Reuters the vehicle had gone off the highway and rolled down the hillside before coming to rest at the bottom. The jaws of life refers to tools used to pry open vehicles involved in accidents when a victim may be trapped inside.

Woods, whose career has been hampered in recent years by back injuries, hosted the PGA tour’s annual Genesis Invitational at the Riviera Country Club over the weekend but did not compete.

He was seen at the Rolling Hills Country Club on Monday with actress Jada Pinkett Smith, former basketball star Dwayne Wade and comedian David Spade.

Woods underwent his fifth back surgery in December.