Police say Tiger Woods was speeding before crash, lost control of SUV

Authorities say Tiger Woods was speeding when he recently crashed an SUV in Southern California, resulting in serious injuries to the professional golfer.

Woods was driving 84 to 87 mph with speed limit 45 mph, on a downhill stretch of road outside Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Wednesday, according to the Associated Press.

Early unconfirmed reports about the Feb. 23 accident were that Woods, 45, was speeding because he was late for a morning taping of show about an hour away. 

The downhill stretch of road on which Woods crashed is notorious for high-speed accidents, so much so that it has an emergency exit for runaway vehicles just beyond where Woods crashed, the wire service also reports.

Villanueva said Woods lost of control behind the wheel.

Sheriff’s Capt. James Powers said there was no evidence that the golfer braked throughout the wreck and that it’s believed Woods inadvertently hit the accelerator instead of the brake pedal.

Detectives did not seek search warrants for the athlete’s blood samples, which could have been screened for drugs or alcohol, or his cellphone. Sheriff’s officials said there was no evidence of impairment or of distracted driving.

Investigators, however, did search the SUV’s data recorder, known as a black box, in the days after the crash.

No traffic citations were issued. The sheriff said Woods gave permission for authorities to reveal details about the crash, the wire service also reports.