Within the early morning hours of Memorial Day in 2017, a police officer in Florida noticed a black Mercedes stopped on the street in the proper lane with its brake lights on and the proper blinker nonetheless blinking.
The officer then approached the motive force, who was asleep on the wheel and needed to be woke up.
The motive force stated he didn’t know the place he was and acknowledged that he “takes a number of prescriptions,” in keeping with the police officer’s affidavit. One of many pharmaceuticals present in his system was the sleep remedy zolpidem, which is usually often known as Ambien.
The motive force was golf legend Tiger Woods.
Practically 4 years later, on Feb. 23, Woods was discovered off the street in a crashed automotive by a neighborhood resident who stated Woods was initially unconscious. A Los Angeles County Sheriff deputy on the scene requested Woods how the crash occurred.
“Driver stated he didn’t know and didn’t even bear in mind driving,” in keeping with a deputy’s affidavit obtained by USA TODAY Sports activities. When Woods was requested once more later on the hospital, he repeated that he didn’t know and didn’t bear in mind driving.
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Regardless of these statements, Sheriff Alex Villanueva stated there was no proof of Woods being impaired. The sheriff’s division subsequently didn’t request blood proof to verify for drug use, prompting one other query surrounding the incident: Was this newest crash one other case of Woods driving on Ambien?
Specialists say the proof helps that suspicion, together with the way in which they are saying his automobile left the street as if he had been asleep on the wheel.
Then there’s his historical past. After one other single-car crash in Florida in 2009, Woods was discovered unconscious in his SUV and loud night breathing, in keeping with a witness assertion in a police report. Woods later acknowledged he used Ambien however didn’t instantly reply when requested at a information convention if Ambien performed a job in that crash.
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The specialists contacted by USA TODAY Sports activities cautioned that they couldn’t draw conclusions but and that there could possibly be different explanations for what occurred, akin to different medicines or a medical emergency.
“However I do know the place you take a look at the prior conduct and suspect there could also be one thing else right here at play,” stated Charles Schack, a former New Hampshire state police trooper who’s now president of Crash Specialists, which analyzes visitors accidents for legislation companies and insurance coverage firms.
Mark Steinberg, Woods’ agent, didn’t reply to a message Friday searching for remark.
The investigation into the crash on Feb. 23 remains to be lively, although the precise trigger might by no means be identified and not using a toxicology report on Woods.
“We will’t simply assume that anyone’s historical past makes them responsible,” Los Angeles Sheriff’s Deputy John Schloegl stated March 2 when requested by USA TODAY Sports activities why they weren’t pursuing a search warrant to acquire blood proof from Woods.
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Schloegl stated the sheriff’s division lacked the “possible trigger” needed to acquire approval from a choose for such a warrant. He famous that first responders noticed Woods to be alert after he crashed his SUV.
However the truth that Woods was awake on the scene after the crash is just not in dispute. Whether or not he was acutely aware when his automobile drifted into the median and off the street is an open query.
Woods, 45, suffered a number of damaged bones in his decrease proper leg, jeopardizing his golf profession. Woods was sporting a seatbelt, and “the vast majority of automobile airbags had deployed,” in keeping with a deputy’s affidavit sworn on March. 1. The affidavit didn’t point out any head accidents aside from “accidents/lacerations to his face” with blood on his face and chin. Airbags could cause facial accidents but in addition mix with seat belts to assist forestall head trauma.
With Ambien, the warning label says negative effects might embody “sleep-driving,” which is described as driving whereas not totally awake after which not remembering it.
“Peer-reviewed scientific analysis has proven that Ambien utilization amongst drivers has been related to reviews of amnesia, regardless of remaining interactive with the atmosphere,” stated Rami Cannabis, principal on the Nationwide Biomechanics Institute, which analyzes the reason for accidents. “So the present out there proof could also be in line with ‘sleep-driving.’”
Such sleep-driving is acquainted to former police detective Jonathan Cherney, who now works as an accident reconstruction knowledgeable in Southern California. He stated he has investigated a number of automotive crashes during which Ambien was concerned.
“I can let you know I don’t recall a case the place the motive force had an unbiased recollection of what occurred instantly previous to the precise collision itself,” Cherney informed USA TODAY Sports activities. “Now that’s to not say that there are some drivers who might recollect what occurred, however I personally don’t recall any who had been capable of present an in depth description of how a crash occurred.”
Cherney and different automotive accident reconstruction specialists informed USA TODAY Sports activities that the proof signifies Woods wasn’t paying consideration and had a “very delayed response” to the emergency at hand on the morning of Feb. 23 close to Rolling Hills Estates.
Cherney beforehand stated it was “like a basic case of falling asleep behind the wheel, as a result of the street curves and his automobile goes straight.” Cherney walked the scene after the crash and stated he noticed no proof of steering enter or braking on the street. The opposite unbiased specialists cited on this story should not concerned within the sheriff’s investigation and are making observations primarily based on the out there proof.
To be taught extra about what occurred, the sheriff’s division just lately executed a search warrant to acquire the “black field” information from Woods’ automobile, which may embody his velocity, steering, braking and acceleration exercise shortly earlier than affect.
Woods was touring north on a curved downhill street when his automobile went straight into the median on the left as an alternative of staying with the street because it curved proper. His automobile, a Genesis GV80, then took out an indication within the median, traveled into opposing visitors lanes, went off the street, hit a tree and rolled over. He traveled about 400 toes after hitting the median, in a comparatively straight line, with no obvious proof of steering enter or braking within the type of skid marks.
The proof didn’t appear to point that Woods was merely wanting down at his cellphone momentarily or that he was merely fatigued.
“If a driver falls asleep and strikes a curb or someway travels off the roadway, sometimes the jarring of the automobile is sufficient to waken the motive force, after which the motive force makes some type of response or overreaction,” stated Schack of Crash Specialists, which is a part of the Knowledgeable Institute, a community that gives knowledgeable witnesses in litigation. “There’s often some proof. If there isn’t, and he continues touring 400 toes, you’d suppose some type of response would have taken place. … The shortage of response actually goes past what you’d count on for easy fatigue and also you begin wanting into different elements that will have performed a job on this.”
Schack famous that “even with anti-lock brakes, there could be some proof of braking and deceleration,” akin to faint skidding. Villanueva stated there have been no skid marks.
“I don’t need to hold my hat solely on Ambien,” Schack stated. “Actually, Ambien may have been an element right here.”
Woods introduced in January that he had undergone the newest of a number of surgical procedures on his again.
In 2017, after Woods was discovered asleep on the wheel, he was arrested for driving underneath the affect. In distinction to the current crash, Woods’ speech on the time of his arrest was sluggish and slurred. He additionally failed sobriety checks.
A toxicology report later confirmed he had Ambien, Vicodin, Xanax, Dilaudid and THC in his system. He pleaded responsible to reckless driving, obtained one 12 months of probation and was required to finish DUI faculty. He even checked right into a clinic to get assist for his use of prescription ache and sleep drugs.
Woods made an announcement relating to that case in 2017:
“Lately, I had been making an attempt alone to deal with my again ache and a sleep problem, together with insomnia, however I notice now it was a mistake to do that with out medical help,” he stated.
Within the 2009 incident exterior his mansion in Florida, Woods crashed a Cadillac Escalade right into a tree and fireplace hydrant, giving him a lower lip and sore neck. A neighbor on the scene then reported seeing Woods within the automobile unconscious and loud night breathing, in keeping with a police report.
The Florida Freeway Patrol decided then that there “was inadequate proof out there to situation a subpoena for added medical info that will exist on this case.”
Woods was cited for careless driving and fined $164.
Woods was requested about his Ambien use a number of months later when he appeared at a information convention for the Masters Event in April 2010.
Query: “Tiger, it has been reported that you just took pharmaceuticals, Ambien and Vicodin. Are you able to communicate to once you began taking these, the way you want them for event golf, for those who did, and for those who ever grew to become hooked on both of them or obtained remedy?”
Woods: “I’ve taken them, sure. I’ve had some, as everybody is aware of, fairly attention-grabbing knee conditions over time. I’ve had, what, 4 operations now on my left knee? And final 12 months, with my torn Achilles, it harm fairly a bit at occasions. And, sure, I did take that. And I took, more often than not I used to be on the Ambien was when my dad was sick.
“When my dad died, that was a tricky time in my life. And, you realize, in order that’s when, sure, I used to be taking that, a few of these issues, to assist me sleep. And that is about it.”
He stated he had not obtained remedy for dependancy to these medication.
In one other query, Woods was requested if Ambien performed a job within the 2009 crash.
“You had been described by the witnesses as mumbling, loud night breathing,” a reporter acknowledged.
“Nicely, the police investigated the accident and so they cited me,” Woods replied. “And it is a closed case.”
Contributing: Josh Peter
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Observe reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. E-mail: [email protected]
