Tiger Woods' accident injuries - WHY?
 

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I read that the new Genesis SUV which Tiger had the crash in - had 10 airbags, including (a first) one in the center console area. Per Genesis description> "middle air-bag (of ten fitted) that inflates between the two first-row seats." Will be very interesting when they determine how his injuries were caused during the crash. He was buckled in, all airbags detonated, and the 'passenger cage' appeared to be intact. How could he have had those terrible right leg injuries? I mean, that leg would have been sandwiched by his left leg and the center console.

Of course the rollovers appear to be the root cause - but being restrained well, and air-bagged... what caused the horrendous injuries to his right leg? I assume that Hyundai/Genesis execs may be very concerned when the details arise... ???Intrusion of engine compartment components into footwell area? Collapse of interior components? Intrusion of center console into the seating area? ???
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Tiger Woods will likely face a lengthy recovery following his near-fatal car crash in Los Angeles this week, experts have said.

Surgeons said the injuries were treated "during emergency surgery by orthopedic trauma specialists." Woods suffered "open fractures affecting both the upper and lower portions of the tibia and fibula bones" that had to be stabilized by inserting a rod in his tibia.

He added that additional bone injuries to his foot and ankle were "stabilized with a combination of screws and pins. Trauma to the muscle and soft-tissue of the leg required surgical release of the covering of the muscles to relieve pressure due to swelling."

"Typically with injuries like that, patients are not allowed to bear any weight on it for the first four to six weeks," he said. "You probably won't be able to put a full amount of weight on it until maybe three months after the surgery."

And he said it would likely be between nine months to a year "for or any sort of decent recovery from an injury like that."

He added that infection is a primary concern because Woods had an "open" fracture, meaning the bone broke through the skin, and the golfer will probably have to undergo additional surgeries in the next few months to stave off infection.

2020 Genesis GV80 review | CarAdvice

I guess that it depends on how you look at it. Police on the scene said that he's lucky to be alive. It's possible that the safety features on this car saved his life and kept his injuries to a minimum. It's possible that had he been driving any other car that he's be dead.

Another thing about most airbags, and maybe these are different, is that they inflate for only a few short seconds and then deflate. Their purpose is to prevent injuries from initial impact. I don't know that all of these airbags remained inflated until the car came to a stop

Air bags inflate for only milliseconds his injuries were probably caused on the 2nd or 3rd roll over.

Every year, 36,000 people involved in vehicle accidents in the U.S. end up dead. So, obviously, air bags are not perfect.

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My MAIN question re the GV80 - Did the Driver knee-air bag inflate properly? If so - Why did these severe injuires occur ro Tiger? And why, I feel, Hyundai/Genesis execs may have concerns...
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What safety features does it include? Standard on every GV80 are the usual complement of airbags: front, front side and full-length side curtain. However, it stands out by offering several airbags that are not typical: driver knee airbag, a front center airbag and second-row side airbags. Also included are the usual stability control and antilock brake systems with brake assist (the L.A. County sheriff reported there were no skid marks, indicating that Woods made no attempt to brake). Advanced driver assistance and accident avoidance technologies are also standard: lane-departure and lane-keeping assist, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, evasive steering assist and driver inattention warning

Rollover deployment of side airbags
Side curtain airbags can be designed to deploy in a rollover crash. Sensors that measure a vehicle's sideways movement and tilting can detect if a rollover is about to occur, triggering deployment. These airbags typically inflate within the first 10-20 milliseconds of a rollover crash and can remain inflated longer than regular side curtain airbags (10 or more seconds) to protect during multiple-roll crashes. They typically cover the window opening and inflate more stiffly to prevent ejection of the occupant.

The government doesn't specifically require side curtain airbags with this capability, but automakers have been using them to meet a requirement that all 2018 or newer vehicles prevent occupant ejection through side windows.

IMO When you run into something head on at high rate of speed nothing going save you from injury. IMO he’s lucky to be alive. The SUV saved his life the front end crumpled like it was supposed to air bag done there job.

If he had been in 59 Chevy the steering wheel would still be sticking out the other side of his chest and engine would of crush him. He survived 60 years advancement in making vehicles safer.

1959 Chevrolet Bel Air vs. 2009 Chevrolet Malibu IIHS crash test - YouTube

IMO You crash into something at high rate of speed odds are you’re going to die no matter what you’re in

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Apparently his PRIMARY injury was solely to his entire RIGHT LEG. Of course I'm NOT disputing that safety advancements in auto engineering- Saved HIS and many many other lives. The question I ponder is - Why only his Right Leg? Apparently all other parts of Tiger were protected pretty well.
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Perhaps because his right leg was extended and pressing hard on the gas pedal or brake pedal while the vehicle rolled.

Perhaps because his right leg was near the pedals and became wedged there while his body was free to move in the rollover thus causing the leg to snap.

Perhaps because something in the center console came free and impacted the leg closest to it, that being his right leg

Perhaps the damage to his right leg was the most severe of his injuries and therefore is all that hit the news.

Perhaps your focus should less on the fact that an accident like that caused injuries and more on the miracle that the injuries were not end his life.

Looking at the damage from what was obviously a serious accident, I think he has come away relatively well.
Cars safety features have saved him from more serious injury, or even death.
Can't see why some are knocking the car.
JMO.

Perhaps a good place to begin why questions is why did the accident occur ? I looked through my new car owner's manual (2 inches thick) equipped with ten airbags and nowhere could I find a guarantee promising no injury in case of accident. Must be a lemon.

Or was flopping around during the barrel rolls?

Speed? Missed corner and hit tree? To smash front in that much, I sure it can be calculated?

Yawn...the man is alive...let it go.

Bill- Perhaps. Man, all I was pondering was WHY only to his Right leg? Nothing else - nothing sinister. Nothing about the car. Nothing about his actions. Nothing about a miracle. Nothing about anything else.

Simply bringing up a singular (perhaps interesting) topic. I will continue to focus and question, WHY? And will await a hopeful answer from the experts when the investigation provides them.
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That would be my best guess also. Since air bags are designed to immediately inflate, then deflate, upon being triggered by the sensors, it's not hard to imagine that the "barrel rolls" (with the bags deflated) allowed his legs to flail around while tumbling. It's also possible that his left leg was against the door, thus reducing the flailing, while his right one was less secure. After seeing the massive damage to the car, he is lucky that he is still alive and is in my opinion, a real testament to modern day cars and their safety designs, features and crush zones.

His foot probably caught by the gas pedal. When I broke my ankle falling down stairs, the doctor told me it was because I had boots on. The boots restricted the movement of my foot. The body is designed to move so as to not break bones, unless restricted. I think design of the airbags save lives, however, cannot prevent something getting caught and thereby restricting movement and causing bones breaking.

You think so? My wife and I were traveling in N. Carolina 2016, 55 mph speed limit on a two lane rd just outside of Brevard a Postal delivery truck crossed the center line and hit us head on, both vehicles traveling 55 MPH. All 10 of our air bags went off. We were bruised all over but basically walked away. I had a concussion from the airbag and a burn on my arm from a different air bag. My wife broke her collar bone and a rib from the seat belt. We were driving a 2015 Lincoln MKZ.

Yikes, Opus, what a crash!

I’m personally always surprised to see F1 drivers walk away after crashing into a wall at 250 miles an hour and the car bursting into flames. Safety features have come a long way.

Stomping on the brakes, in a front end collision, with cause the very type of lower leg and foot injuries Tiger sustained...

A possible Lis-Franc dislocation of the midfoot was sustained as well as the open fracture of the leg...

I've treated this type of injury to the foot...

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thanks. Initial crash evidence indicated NO skid marks before leaving the road. And it was confirmed he was buckled in. Evidently SOMETHING happened to his right leg to cause all those severe compounded bone breaks. And I must ponder that perhaps that brake/accelerator area may heve been compromised during the rollovers. Time, and evidence, will tell.

Yes, thankfully he survived - that's #1. I just hope that he can survive the painkillers, possible depression, physical recovery, and looong difficult physical therapy.
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Yes, I do.

Which vehicle weights the most counts and not all head ons are the same. The Ford did exactly as designed saved severe injuries and death in you’re case. I wouldn’t want bet on it again? Did the postal worker survive? There probably thousands of others that didn’t? IMO thankfully you were very lucky 🍀 and nobody would want go through that.

Look up Ben Hogan car accident. And remember, Hogan was driving a 1948 Cadillac that was hit head on by a bus.

He has a history of wreckles behavior. Let's start with the drug tests, etc. Also, any recent behavioral issues that would affect
his driving? At 7am where was he going at wreakless speeds? Or where did he go? More questions than answers.

Tests confirmed he had no drugs or alcohol in his system.
He was on his way to a morning tv shoot.
Hope that helps in your investigation.

PS. He was not wreckless either.
He had quite a famous argument with a fire hydrant some years back!:icon_wink:

An orthopedic surgeon interviewed by the New York Times (reported in the Thursday edition) said that in accidents that lead the driver to brake hard, the sort of right foot, ankle, shin injuries Tiger suffered are very common. The connection between the front end, engine, brake pedal, etc. transfers the force through to the right foot on the brake pedal. Because the driver is trying to straighten out that leg with maximum pressure, it doesn’t give much, so the bone breaks and muscle fibers tear and bruise. The left leg is fine because it’s not pressing down. The air bags provide cushioning to many areas, but not to the right foot. That takes the force of the collision. It’s such a shame. At least he was wearing his seatbelt, it seems.

A history of "reckless" behavior???? Where? When?? What???

He's had a few incidents in his life. For the most part he has been a great father and upstanding human being.

People like Tiger live under a microscope and the press blows up every little incident making them seem much bigger than they are.

1) He cheated on his wife with multiple women. If you think that he's the only celebrity to do this, you're naive. I don't mean to justify it, it was wrong, he fessed up and apologized and voluntarily sought counseling.

2) He had a car accident while under the influence of drugs. He has had multiple back surgeries and knee surgeries. He was given pain meds by his doctor and mixed some without realizing the effect they would have. Again, he admitted a mistake and never did it again.

Please list all of the rest of his history of reckless behavior.

Tiger Woods has accomplished much in his life and has done a lot of good for a lot of people. His TGR Foundation supports community-based programs that improve the health, education, and welfare of all children in America. Currently, the foundation has established several programs and events such as the TGR Learning Labs, Hero World Challenge, Genesis Open, The National, and Tiger Jam which all benefit and impact the lives of millions of children.

Millions of African Americans, mostly young people have taken up golf because of Tiger.

The Tiger Woods Foundation is about empowering minorities, especially underprivileged minority students. The TGRF’s goal is for these students to be given the support and resources needed to be successful in school and beyond. In over the 20 years that this foundation has been opened they have served more than 175,000 students, as well as employing 1,000 educators each year. The foundation has been so successful due to its goal of “developing self-advocacy skills in young people,” that their students have a 98.7% college graduation rate, which is one of the highest graduation rates of a scholarship program in the country.

And people want to hate this guy because he is human and made a few mistakes. He's used cuss words on the golf course and tossed a club on occasion, as have many golfers at every level including the PGA Tour. The difference with Tiger is that he's on camera way more than any other player so he gets caught more often.

Other than that, he works as hard as anyone that has ever played any sport in and effort to become the best that ever lived. That is a great lesson for your people. In fact it's a great lesson for all of us.

On top of all that, he's a great father to his two children. He spends a lot of time with them in spite of the fact that they live with their mother, with whom he gets along very well these days.

Tiger is human and has made a few mistakes, but the good that he has done for the world and pleasure that he has brought to millions of people worldwide far outweighs a few "reckless" incidents.

A history of reckless behavior? I don't think so.

Who cares? I have more important things to wonder about and wait for answers to. An air bag protects you from an impact. Theres always a possibility that an arm, a leg may get wedged in somewhere and snap. They said he had a compound fracture. Thats not a crushing injury from impact. And I hadnt really thought much about it untilI saw this post because as I said, who cares? Unless, you intend to buy a vehicle just like his which I seriously doubt

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oh boy. "Who cares"? Well, apparently I do. And the reason for my post. So now a person cannot question something and ponder 'Why'? Are YOU not interested in something and ask a question? Perhaps not... But that's how interested people grow and converse and learn.

I DID learn, thx posters, about the stress on the right leg and brake etc. If I didn't 'care', and didn't post, and others respond, I would not have learned this. However that would make more sense to me if there was evidence of hard braking by Tiger. No tire markings on pavement. But time will tell - for interested people who care.
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From what I have read, severe right leg injuries are very common in this type of accident. It could be due to many reasons, but I'm not an engineer so I don't know all the details.

Accident
 

Incase you didn't see pictures of the car, the front end was pushed back to the windshield, that typically means the engine was at least partially in the front seat where his right leg was. Tires were at the front doors. This looked like, a high speed impact with something solid and not just a roll over. Unless that damage could come from an end over end flip, but the rear of vehicle did not seem to suffer the same amount of damage as the front.

You really have to ask yourself why they cannot design a car like a NASCAR race car. These guys get in crashes at over 200 MPH and walk away fine or with minor injuries. Yes, once in a great while one of them gets killed which can be expected at these speeds but overall they walk away and I don’t believe these cars have air bags. In a typical passenger car or SUV you would not need roll bars as big as those used in a race car so they could be easily hidden in the interior. Put in the air bags and probably no one would ever get killed.

You must not of paid attention to the front of the vehicle , most specifically the engine was smashed in . His feet and legs were injured from the collapse of the front end of the vehicle.

Do you think he would have been hurt less severe if he were driving a Cadillac Escalade? Which one has better overall protection? I don't know the answer.

Escalade is higher platform and roll over may have been worse?

They keep making the consoles wider all the time. Too much boxing in for me.

Speculating on the why's and why nots is a waste of time. The bottom line is he is alive, 20-30 years ago he would be dead. This vehicle saved his life. There are no skid marks because he was air born most of the way. There was also considerable damage to the undercarriage, which is probably the cause of the leg injuries. Your belted in and airbags deploy and only inflate for a second, so the rest of the time while your vehicle is toppling down the road your legs and arms arm flailing all over the place. In most cases your arms are on the wheel, which helps. The G forces are tremendous. Remember this road I believe was posted at 25-35MPH. I have a lot of experience in accident investigations. I can't say exactly how fast, but judging from the scene, with a debris field over 1 and 1/2 football fields, he was traveling probably 70-80mph, The accident reconstruction team should be able to determine an approx. speed. I do disagree with the Sheriff in that it was just an accident. I doubt all the investigative and reconstruction data is in yet. Clearly, speed was a factor, whether caused by him or equipment failure, will be determined. If it's not equipment failure or a medical episode that caused the accident, then it would be on him. Speeding is a negligent act. Let's just be thankful he is alive and no one else was injured.

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"waste of time"??? Please review my answers to this from others to explain why I asked the basic quesion. I hear a lot of speculation in your post. I will wait for the experts to explain with facts and evidence. " The accident reconstruction team should be able to determine an approx. speed." ---NO NEED - the computer 'black box' will provide the EXACT speed to investigators. "I doubt all the investigative and reconstruction data is in yet." Of course not - it will take weeks or more.
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I do wonder if the large console in his vehicle had a part in his right leg injuries. However the vehicle had a driver's knee air bag and a (first) airbag between the front seats.
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So you saying he wasn’t speeding?