Tiger injured in a rollover

[Farm93]

Tiger was driving between 84 and 87 mph when he crashed.

https://apple.news/A6l4tDHHiQ-aHCF1omsB84A

The speed limit was 45.

BC

Not sure this is quite correct. The car was going that fast when it hit the median, but that was after he mistakenly floored the accelerator instead of slamming on the brakes when he started to lose control.

I imagined Woods either fell asleep, was distracted by a phone call or had some pain meds that really slowed his reaction time.    The types of speeds noted in this report are just so far above what I imagined.  All of the speeds mentioned are just unsafe for that road. 

Few random thoughts -
* Woods was driving because of COVID-19 concerns.   By trying to avoid COVID-19 Woods lost his career and almost his life.
* That GV80 has some amazing safety features.   I knew the crash had some speed, but never imagined the SUV hit a tree at 75 MPH.

[lex24]

Tiger was driving between 84 and 87 mph when he crashed.

https://apple.news/A6l4tDHHiQ-aHCF1omsB84A

The speed limit was 45.

BC

Not sure this is quite correct. The car was going that fast when it hit the median, but that was after he mistakenly floored the accelerator instead of slamming on the brakes when he started to lose control.

I imagined Woods either fell asleep, was distracted by a phone call or had some pain meds that really slowed his reaction time.    The types of speeds noted in this report are just so far above what I imagined.  All of the speeds mentioned are just unsafe for that road. 

Few random thoughts -
* Woods was driving because of COVID-19 concerns.   By trying to avoid COVID-19 Woods lost his career and almost his life.
* That GV80 has some amazing safety features.   I knew the crash had some speed, but never imagined the SUV hit a tree at 75 MPH.

I always wonder if the thoughts towards Tiger would be as “generous” on this board had he gone to any other institution but Stanford.

[82lsju]

Tiger was driving between 84 and 87 mph when he crashed.

https://apple.news/A6l4tDHHiQ-aHCF1omsB84A

The speed limit was 45.

BC

Not sure this is quite correct. The car was going that fast when it hit the median, but that was after he mistakenly floored the accelerator instead of slamming on the brakes when he started to lose control.

true, but the GV80 with the 3.5L engine (the more powerful one) goes from 0-60 in 6.0 seconds and 0-98.8 (standing quarter mile) in 14.4 seconds

https://www.motortrend.com/cars/genesis/...st-review/

so I think he was going pretty close to the 87 mph before he pushed the accelerator to the floor

[OutsiderFan]

Tiger was driving between 84 and 87 mph when he crashed.

https://apple.news/A6l4tDHHiQ-aHCF1omsB84A

The speed limit was 45.

BC

Not sure this is quite correct. The car was going that fast when it hit the median, but that was after he mistakenly floored the accelerator instead of slamming on the brakes when he started to lose control.

I've never heard of anyone accidentally hitting the accelerator instead of the brake in a car. This sounds like the type of thing you say to cover up the fact you accelerated when you shouldn't have, not when you meant to hit the brake but missed.

Not only does anyone who has ever driven a vehicle know where the pedals are in a car by foot position, they also know the brake and accelerator pedals are different shaped and feel different. Just not a credible statement to me.

[Goose]

I've never heard of anyone accidentally hitting the accelerator instead of the brake in a car. This sounds like the type of thing you say to cover up the fact you accelerated when you shouldn't have, not when you meant to hit the brake but missed.

Not only does anyone who has ever driven a vehicle know where the pedals are in a car by foot position, they also know the brake and accelerator pedals are different shaped and feel different. Just not a credible statement to me.

Really? It actually is a quite common event, especially when the driver is distracted and doesn't move their foot from the accelerator to the brake. They just know they want to stop so they tromp down with their foot without moving it. That is how a lot of the accidents where somebody hits a building happen. They think they are braking but instead go faster and faster. Not at all uncommon, although this usually lasts only a few seconds.. I seriously doubt that is what happened in this case, but it does happen.

[pefloresjr]

Tiger was driving between 84 and 87 mph when he crashed.

https://apple.news/A6l4tDHHiQ-aHCF1omsB84A

The speed limit was 45.

BC

Not sure this is quite correct. The car was going that fast when it hit the median, but that was after he mistakenly floored the accelerator instead of slamming on the brakes when he started to lose control.

I've never heard of anyone accidentally hitting the accelerator instead of the brake in a car. This sounds like the type of thing you say to cover up the fact you accelerated when you shouldn't have, not when you meant to hit the brake but missed.

Not only does anyone who has ever driven a vehicle know where the pedals are in a car by foot position, they also know the brake and accelerator pedals are different shaped and feel different. Just not a credible statement to me.

You obviously haven't spent enough time a CHP accident reconstruction team.  Unfortunately, it happens all the time.  A person comes upon an unexpected obstacle or is suddenly losing control of the car and they slam on the accelerator instead of the brake.  It is most common in older drivers, but does happen with younger drivers too.  If he wasn't paying close attention to the road and how high his speed had reached and was entering a curve, he could have easily had his weight shifted and his panic reaction engaged enough to hit the wrong pedal.  Given the lack of braking or skid marks, that is one of the distinct possibilities.  Falling asleep at the wheel due to fatigue, alcohol, or narcotics is the other but there is some evidence that he was not impaired.  I don't know what happened in this case, but accidents like this do happen fairly often.  

Cheers,
Pete F.

[OutsiderFan]

Tiger was driving between 84 and 87 mph when he crashed.

https://apple.news/A6l4tDHHiQ-aHCF1omsB84A

The speed limit was 45.

BC

Not sure this is quite correct. The car was going that fast when it hit the median, but that was after he mistakenly floored the accelerator instead of slamming on the brakes when he started to lose control.

I've never heard of anyone accidentally hitting the accelerator instead of the brake in a car. This sounds like the type of thing you say to cover up the fact you accelerated when you shouldn't have, not when you meant to hit the brake but missed.

Not only does anyone who has ever driven a vehicle know where the pedals are in a car by foot position, they also know the brake and accelerator pedals are different shaped and feel different. Just not a credible statement to me.

You obviously haven't spent enough time a CHP accident reconstruction team.  Unfortunately, it happens all the time.  A person comes upon an unexpected obstacle or is suddenly losing control of the car and they slam on the accelerator instead of the brake.  It is most common in older drivers, but does happen with younger drivers too.  If he wasn't paying close attention to the road and how high his speed had reached and was entering a curve, he could have easily had his weight shifted and his panic reaction engaged enough to hit the wrong pedal.  Given the lack of braking or skid marks, that is one of the distinct possibilities.  Falling asleep at the wheel due to fatigue, alcohol, or narcotics is the other but there is some evidence that he was not impaired.  I don't know what happened in this case, but accidents like this do happen fairly often.  

Cheers,
Pete F.

Really? I've driven for 30 years and never once have I confused the gas pedal with the brake pedal. 

You drive with your foot on the gas pedal in part to know that when you must brake, you move your foot off the gas to the brake. You don't drive with your foot on the brake unless knowing you are in a braking area. To brake, you move your foot. You don't ever press down without moving your foot while cruising. You can miss the brake pedal, and fail to brake at first, but that is not accelerating when you should be braking.

I can buy that maybe some older people who have lost feeling or brain sharpness could get confused, but not Tiger Woods at his current age. I don't think we'll ever know what really happened while Woods was driving, but the evidence suggests it was reckless more than an accident.

[Phogge]

I did it once backing up from a diagonal parking space in my camera van. Thankfully nobody else was on the street and I managed to regain control after about 10 feet. Scary. So it happens. Senior moment?

[cardcrimson]

I did it once backing up from a diagonal parking space in my camera van. Thankfully nobody else was on the street and I managed to regain control after about 10 feet. Scary. So it happens. Senior moment?

Happened to me as well. Probably shouldn't have been driving a stick with a boot on my foot, but hey. Fortunately the wall and the car suffered no long term damage.

---

Just a random thought that I've not seen as conjecture. Anybody consider that it might not have been an accident? I had a co-worker who incredibly sadly took her own life by driving at high speed into a building. Nobody had an inkling there were issues. . . .

[lex24]

Jeez.  The lengths folks will go to defend a Stanford guy.  He was either loaded or driving recklessly.  Or both.  He’s lucky he didn’t kill himself or someone else.

[Goose]

You drive with your foot on the gas pedal in part to know that when you must brake, you move your foot off the gas to the brake. You don't drive with your foot on the brake unless knowing you are in a braking area. To brake, you move your foot. You don't ever press down without moving your foot while cruising. You can miss the brake pedal, and fail to brake at first, but that is not accelerating when you should be braking.


I can buy that maybe some older people who have lost feeling or brain sharpness could get confused, but not Tiger Woods at his current age. I don't think we'll ever know what really happened while Woods was driving, but the evidence suggests it was reckless more than an accident.

As it happens, I agree that it is very improbable that the accident was caused by mistakenly pressing the gas pedal. When that happens, it usually is short in duration. It may last long enough to cause an accident, but usually not long enough to go from 45 mph to over 80 mph. However, this type of error is also very common in young new drivers. A friend of mine who I was teaching how to drive a stick shift put us in the bushes that way (22 years old). The "push the pedal" reaction often happens when something unexpected and threatening happens. You feel the need to act immediately and omit a step. It isn't something you think through. It isn't lack of brain sharpness. It is a reaction, as most driving activities are. Not knowing how to react often produces errors when there is no time to consider what to do. That is one reason pilots practice emergency situations all the time. You need to act correctly without thinking about it. Takes too long.

[cardcrimson]

Jeez.  The lengths folks will go to defend a Stanford guy.  He was either loaded or driving recklessly.  Or both.  He’s lucky he didn’t kill himself or someone else.

Who's defending him with their gas / brake pedal histories? My random conjecture was that, maybe he was unlucky he didn't kill himself. Oddly, was just listening to a talking head on KNBR and he was wondering the same thing.

[chrisk]

You drive with your foot on the gas pedal in part to know that when you must brake, you move your foot off the gas to the brake. You don't drive with your foot on the brake unless knowing you are in a braking area. To brake, you move your foot. You don't ever press down without moving your foot while cruising. You can miss the brake pedal, and fail to brake at first, but that is not accelerating when you should be braking.


I can buy that maybe some older people who have lost feeling or brain sharpness could get confused, but not Tiger Woods at his current age. I don't think we'll ever know what really happened while Woods was driving, but the evidence suggests it was reckless more than an accident.

As it happens, I agree that it is very improbable that the accident was caused by mistakenly pressing the gas pedal. When that happens, it usually is short in duration. It may last long enough to cause an accident, but usually not long enough to go from 45 mph to over 80 mph. However, this type of error is also very common in young new drivers. A friend of mine who I was teaching how to drive a stick shift put us in the bushes that way (22 years old). The "push the pedal" reaction often happens when something unexpected and threatening happens. You feel the need to act immediately and omit a step. It isn't something you think through. It isn't lack of brain sharpness. It is a reaction, as most driving activities are. Not knowing how to react often produces errors when there is no time to consider what to do. That is one reason pilots practice emergency situations all the time. You need to act correctly without thinking about it. Takes too long.

If he was already speeding at an unsafe speed for the road, it wouldn't take much to get to 87. Had he ever driven this SUV before? It can take a while to get used to a different vehicle. Was he late for a meeting or appointment>

[Phogge]

What have we here? A serial philanderer, a totally nasty guy for years with the nastiest caddy in the sport “protecting him,” a serial philanderer for a father, a pill addict.

Then he gets caught. Then he “changes?”

However his foundation is successful. Golf owes him for for being a savior. He brings Palmer-like excitement when the sport is on its azz. He is a joy to watch on the course.

Mays was flawed. Joe D was flawed. Kobe was flawed. So is Woods. He’s far from being a hero and I have rooted against him for his entire career. But he is great theatre. I can think of better ways to kill oneself. He was exhausted speaking to Nance on the Sunday of the Genesis Open. Maybe whacked out on pills the next morning.

It’s too bad he will never be the Grand Old Man of golf like Jones and Nicklaus. Just not his thing.

[winflop]

Few random thoughts -

* Woods was driving because of COVID-19 concerns.   By trying to avoid COVID-19 Woods lost his career and almost his life.
* That GV80 has some amazing safety features.   I knew the crash had some speed, but never imagined the SUV hit a tree at 75 MPH.

Woods always drove himself. He didn't like being driven.

[BostonCard]

Yeah, there is no correlation between "being a good guy" and "being able to hit a golf ball well".  For that matter, there is no correlation between being good at a professional sport (or for that matter, almost anything) and "being a good guy" (or gal).  Tiger Woods is an incredibly talented golf player; he obviously has his own life demons.  Whether this particular accident was connected to that or just going way too fast in a tricky stretch of highway is somewhat of an academic exercise.

BC

[Phogge]

It’s academic until he either kills himself on Alligator Alley or hits some kid crossing Collins Blvd.

[BostonCard]

It’s academic until he either kills himself on Alligator Alley or hits some kid crossing Collins Blvd.

Yeah, but is it any more relevant than any of the other 10,000 drunk driving related fatalities?

If he is still struggling with substance abuse issues, I hope he gets help.  If this was the result of reckless driving (but he wasn't loaded), I hope he's more careful in the future.  Either way, I hope he doesn't wind up killing himself or someone else.  But again, there were 10,000 drunk driving related fatalities last year, as well as 70,000 fatal overdoses and 48,000 suicides.  Most of them were just as tragic even though they weren't the result of someone who hits a golf ball really well.

BC

[82lsju]

police report from the crash here

https://dam.tmz.com/document/9c/o/2021/0...57c19b.pdf

see pages 18-20 for the info from the SUV's black box.  SUV was going 83.88 mph at 0% throttle before there was a significant increase in throttle position

page 2 has a drawing of the path of the vehicle

[jonnyss]

Yeah, there is no correlation between "being a good guy" and "being able to hit a golf ball well".  For that matter, there is no correlation between being good at a professional sport (or for that matter, almost anything) and "being a good guy" (or gal).  Tiger Woods is an incredibly talented golf player; he obviously has his own life demons.  Whether this particular accident was connected to that or just going way too fast in a tricky stretch of highway is somewhat of an academic exercise.

BC

looking at the images of the road on google maps, it's not a highway. of roads near stanford, i would compare it to junipero serra by stanford or sand hill road between slac and sharon park, or even page mill road.  85 mph is pretty ambitious for roads like that. i can see 60 in the 45 mph zone if you're in a hurry or have the music cranked up on a sunny day, but 85 (before you accidentally hit the accelerator)? you're asking to kill a bicyclist.