>>> THIS IS AN NBC NEWS SPECIAL
REPORT.
HERE’S LESTER HOLT.
>>> GOOD DAY, EVERYONE, WE’RE
COMING ON THE AIR WITH BREAKING
NEWS.
IT HAS TO DO WITH GOLF SUPERSTAR
TIGER WOODS WHO HAS BEEN INJURED
IN A SERIOUS CAR ACCIDENT IN
PALOS VERDES, CALIFORNIA,
OUTSIDE LOS ANGELES.
WOODS HAS BEEN HOSPITALIZED
SHORTEDLY WITH MULTIPLE LEG
INJURIES AND IS UNDERGOING
SURGERY.
IT’S NOT YET CLEAR HOW SERIOUSLY
HE’S BEEN INJURED BUT WE DO KNOW
THE SUV HE WAS DRIVING, HE WAS
THE SOLE OCCUPANT, WENT OFF THE
ROAD AND ROLLED OVER SHORTLY
AFTER 7:00 THIS MORNING
CALIFORNIA TIME.
LEAVING
LEAVING IT SERIOUSLY DAMAGED AND
FORCING FIRST RESPONDERS TO USE
THE JAWS OF LIFE POWER TOOL TO
EXTRICATE HIM FROM THE WRECK.
GADI SCHWARTZ IS IN LOS ANGELES
AND HAS MORE REPORTING ON THIS.
GADI, WHAT DO WE KNOW?
>> Reporter: GOOD EVENING,
LESTER, LOOKING AT THAT VIDEO
FROM THE HELICOPTERS ABOVE YOU
GET A SENSE OF JUST HOW VIOLENCE
THIS CRASH WAS.
WE KNOW THAT TIGER WOODS WAS THE
ONLY PERSON INSIDE THIS SUV, AND
THE JAWS OF LIFE WERE USED.
AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THAT CRASH
YOU CAN SEE WHY.
IT APPEARS AS THOUGH THE ENTIRE
ENGINE OF THE FRONT OF THE SUV
HAS BEEN ALMOST SHEERED OFF.
NOW, WE’RE GETTING A LITTLE BIT
OF A SENSE AS TO WHAT MIGHT HAVE
HAPPENED FROM SOME OF THE DEBRIS
THAT’S NEARBY.
IT APPEARS AS THOUGH THIS
HAPPENED ON HAWTHORNE BOULEVARD
IN PALOS VERDES AND WE’RE
GETTING A BETTER PICTURE FROM
THE DEBRIS FIELD THAT APPEARS AS
THOUGH HE WAS TRAVELING
NORTHBOUND, CROSSED SOUTHBOUND,
CRASHED INTO SOME SIGN THAT WAS
SITTING IN THE MEDIAN AND ENDED
UP QUITE A WAYS AWAY FACING THE
OPPOSITE DIRECTION UP ON THAT
EMBANKMENT WITH ALL OF THE AIR
BAGS APPEAR -- APPEAR TO HAVE
BEEN DEPLOYED.
AND, AGAIN, THE ENTIRE ENGINE
FROM THAT CAR -- OR FROM THAT
SUV IS MISSING.
NOW, WE KNOW HE WAS HERE IN
CALIFORNIA FOR A TWO-DAY
TELEVISION SHOOT AFTER HOSTING
THE PGA TOUR GENESIS
INVITATIONAL OVER THE WEEKEND.
PART OF THAT INCLUDED GIVING
WELL-KNOWN CELEBRITIES LIKE
DWYANE WADE AND DAVID SPADE GOLF
LESSONS YESTERDAY.
ALL OF THAT WAS HAPPENING AT THE
ROLLING HILLS GOLF COURSE.
AGAIN, THIS CRASH HAPPENED AT
ABOUT 7:00 IN THE MORNING.
IT’S UNCLEAR IF HE WAS HEADED TO
THE ROLLING HILLS GOLF COURSE,
OR POSSIBLY HEADED AWAY FROM THE
ROLLING HILLS GOLF COURSE.
BUT AT THIS POINT WE KNOW THAT
HE’S GOT EXTENSIVE INJURIES TO
BOTH HIS LEGS ACCORDING TO HIS
AGENT AND IS UNDERGOING
EMERGENCY SURGERY AT HARBOR VIEW
HOSPITAL.
SO THAT’S THE LATEST WE HAVE ON
HIS CONDITION.
BUT JUST TAKING A LOOK AT THE
DAMAGE ON THAT VEHICLE, AGAIN,
YOU CAN IMAGINE WHAT KIND OF
INJURIES HE MUST HAVE HAD WITH
HIS LEGS NEAR THAT CAVITY WHERE
THE ENGINE WAS, AND ALL THOSE
AIR BAGS DEPLOYED.
THE JAWS OF LIFE BEING USED TO
PULL HIM OUT OF THE VEHICLE ONCE
EMERGENCY RESPONDERS FIRST GOT
THERE.
>> REMARKABLE.
THE FRONT END OF THAT VEHICLE,
JUST OBLITERATED.
ALL RIGHT GADI SCHWARTZ, THANK
YOU.
ALSO STANDING BY FOR US IS MIKE
TIRICO OF NBC SPORTS.
MIKE, THERE’S NO BIGGER NAME IN
GOLF THAN TIGER WOODS.
YOU MAY OR MAY NOT KNOW THE GAME
BUT YOU CERTAINLY KNOW WHO HE
IS.
>> WE ALL DO, LESTER, WITHOUT
QUESTION, TIGER HAS BEEN A PART
OF THE SPORTS CONVERSATION
REALLY FOR THREE DECADES.
HE CAME OUT WAY BACK AS A YOUTH
ON THE OLD MIKE DOUGLAS TV SHOW.
HIS DAD ALWAYS WANTED HIM TO BE
A GOLFER AND HE WAS OUT THERE
WITH BOB HOPE HITTING GOLF BALLS
AT A VERY YOUNG AGE AND TIGER’S
BEEN ON THE STAGE, HE’S BEEN IN
THE HEADLINES FOR HIS PLAY, HE’S
BEEN IN THE HEADLINES FOR THINGS
THAT HAVE GONE WRONG OFF THE
GOLF COURSE.
HE’S BEEN INVOLVED IN MULTIPLE
SURGERIES, HE HAD JUST A COUPLE
OF MONTHS AGO HAD HIS FIFTH
PROCEDURE ON HIS BACK.
HIS BACK AND NECK AND KNEE
INJURIES HAVE REALLY SHORTED
WHAT WAS ON PACE TO BE THE
GREATEST CAREER IN THE SPORT.
SOME MAY SAY IT STILL IS.
HE’S WON 82 TIMES, AS MUCH AS
ANYONE, TIED WITH SAM SNEAD FOR
THE ALL-TIME RECORD, 15 MAJOR
CHAMPIONSHIPS, JACK NICKLAUS HAS
WON 18.
BUT THE CROSSOVER, THE FACT THAT
NO MATTER, GOLF OR NOT, YOU KNOW
WHO TIGER WOODS IS, YOU
RECOGNIZE HIM NOT JUST HERE IN
THE STATES BUT AROUND THE WORLD.
I HAS EVERYBODY BUZZING TODAY.
>> MIKE, THANKS AGAIN.
45-YEAR-OLD TIGER WOODS, ONE OF
THE GREATEST GOLFERS AND ONE OF
THE BEST KNOWN FIGURES IN
SPORTS, IN SURGERY RIGHT NOW
THIS HOUR WITH MULTIPLE LEG
INJURIES FOLLOWING A SERIOUS
SOLO CAR ACCIDENT THIS MORNING
IN CALIFORNIA.
WE’LL HAVE FULL DETAILS COMING
UP ON NBC NIGHTLY NEWS.
FOR NOW I’M LESTER HOLT, NBC
NEWS, NEW YORK. GOOD DAY, EVERYONE.