Tiger Woods badly hurt in car crash, expected to survive

Golfing champion Tiger Woods was hospitalized in Los Angeles on Tuesday (February 23) with severe leg injuries suffered when his car veered off a road and rolled down a steep hillside, requiring rescue crews to pry him from the wreckage, authorities said.

The injuries were not believed to be life-threatening, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva told a news conference hours later, adding that Woods was conscious and "able to communicate" when rescue personnel arrived.

The sheriff said there was no evidence of impairment when Woods was assessed by emergency workers at the scene, and that no blood samples were drawn by investigators after he was rushed by ambulance to the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.

Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby said Woods suffered serious injuries to both legs and that he was initially listed in serious but stable condition. CNN reported Woods sustained compound fractures to his legs.

Video footage from the crash scene showed Woods' dark gray Genesis sport utility vehicle badly crumpled and lying on its side near the bottom of the hillside, its windows smashed.

A crane was used to lift the car from the crash site and onto the road, where it was later loaded onto a tow truck.

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