Tiger Woods is recovering from surgery for 'significant orthopaedic' injuries after car crash
- Tiger Woods is awake and recovering from surgery for injuries sustained during a car crash.
- Woods had injuries to his right leg and ankle in Tuesday's crash.
- Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Woods was "lucky to be alive."
Tiger Woods is awake and recovering after a long surgery following a car crash in Los Angeles, a statement on his Twitter account said.
Woods was involved in a single-car crash Tuesday morning in which his car rolled over on the side of a road in Ranchos Palos Verdes in southern Los Angeles County.
The statement said Woods had surgery for injuries on his right leg and ankle.
"Mr. Woods suffered significant orthopaedic injuries to his right lower extremity that were treated during emergency surgery by Orthopaedic trauma specialists at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, a level 1 trauma center," said Dr. Anish Mahajan, the chief medical officer and interim CEO at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. "Comminuted open fractures affecting both the upper and lower portions of the tibia and fibula bones were stabilized by inserting a rod into the tibia."
Comminuted open fractures are when a bone has broken in more than one place and has pierced the skin.
Mahajan continued: "Additional injuries to the bones of the foot and ankle were stabilized with a combination of screws and pins. Trauma to the muscles and soft-tissue of the leg required surgical release of the covering of the muscle to relieve pressure due to swelling."
Earlier Tuesday, Chief Daryl Osby of the Los Angeles County Fire Department said Woods was in "serious condition."
During a press conference Tuesday, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said there was no initial evidence of driver impairment.
Villanueva said Woods had been driving at a "relatively greater speed than normal" and was "lucky to be alive."
Have a news tip? Contact this reporter at salarshani@insider.com