Posted on 02/25/2021 8:05:43 AM PST by Hojczyk
Dr. Kenneth Jung, an orthopedic foot and ankle surgeon, provided further explanation of that summary. Although Jung is not involved in the treatment of Woods, he spoke in general terms about the type of injuries described, which commonly occur in high-energy car crashes.
That the injuries occurred to the lower-right leg of Woods is not surprising, Jung said, because those typically happen when a driver is slamming on the brake, as opposed to the left leg, which might be off to the side. The demolished front end of the SUV that Woods was driving appeared to be compressed and caved in by the accident.
The tibia and fibula are the two bones in your lower leg, and a comminuted fracture refers to a bone being broken into multiple fragments, as opposed to a clean break.
The term “open” means the bone broke through the skin and was exposed to the outside world. That greatly increases the risk of infection, as occurred with Washington Football Team quarterback Alex Smith, who suffered a gruesome leg break that, after subsequent infections, brought the risk of amputation and was life-threatening.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
How did this accident happen? I haven’t seen anything on that yet.
People are obsessing over this car accident.
Accidents do happen. Maybe the average person just needs something to fill their minds right now. Something huge that is happening to somebody else. Many folks on lockdown are crazy bored. For some, Pro Sports is not the instant lure it used to be, now having been effected with politics.
Excessive speed, curvy road, possible fog/damp road surface.
Or as they say in Nascar, he got to wreckin’
Driving to fast appears to be the cause, not a accident it is human fault.
When you analyze traumatic orthopedic injuries it is important to understand the physics. All that energy directed against biological tissue causes predictable havoc and destruction. Actually Tiger is very lucky to be alive. If the vector of all that kinetic energy were directed toward his head or neck, he would have been dead.
Not sure, but I have a hunch that it boils down to the fact this was a loaner vehicle driven aggressively by someone unfamiliar with it.
I’ve learned the hard way with rental cars: you can’t drive ‘em like you drive your own car(s). You have to be careful because the dimensions and handling are likely different from what you’re used to.
Probably excessive speed downhill, hit the median, then lost control of the vehicle. Distracted driving perhaps? You look at your phone and take your eyes off the road for even a second or two and bad things can happen.
That’s a steep downhill there on Hawthorne Blvd with several curves and you have to watch your speed carefully. It’s a 45mph zone. Very easy to find yourself going 60 or more.
Then why were there no skid marks?
Before they fixed the chassis design, traumatic leg injuries were very common in Indianapolis racing crashes. The best guys to who developed the medical response to those are still around, Terry Trammel and Steve Olvey and Kevin Scheid.
Pre-COVID I travelled a lot for work and so I drove lots of rental cars. Nothing fancy, generic Avis or Hertz sedans. But it always cracked me up how I'd get in the car, pull out and step on the brake the first time and come to a screeching halt because they are way more sensitive than the ones on my car and I pushed the pedal too hard for that car. You're dead on, blind spots are different, handling is different, sometimes it doesn't matter much but sometimes it's a big difference and it really does.
Systemic racism.
With all the electronic safety systems on board now (anti-lock brakes, stability control, traction control, etc and this fancy new rig had a full complement of them) how much wheel skid marking actually occurs?
If this was Joe Household on his way to work, it would barely get a mention on the local news, if any.
Correct.
Not driving that fast, but slammed the median - broke thru some of the guts - including power steering cooling - of the engine area (lower).
Might have been - while bouncing along - not accurate with foot to pedal placement and hit both brake and gas or only gas, for a moment.
Continued to western curb of southerly lane and that curb plus immediate terrain led to a series of tumbles.
My guess.
That’s how I feel right now. I drove my old truck for 21 years and just bought a 2019 model SUV. Day and night.
I used to live in Redondo Beach next to Palos Verde where Tiger wrecked. At the time I had a 70 Cutlass that I just had the motor redone in and I had a Porsche Carrera. I used to love to rip them up and down the hills in PV. Twisty steep 2 lane roads intersect that hill. I had my fun but used some common sense and never wrecked like Tiger. I am sure he was just having some fun hot rodding his suv and lost control.
Hope he gets through this without losing his leg. A friend who fell off a ladder last year lost from the knee down to an amputation after repeated infections. Best case for Woods is gaining full leg function back after at least a year or two recovery. I had a maisonneuve fracture in November and jaws in casts then boot until last week, and am a long way from full recovery, my break (both tibia and fibula, spiral type from twisting and falling) was very mild compared to Woods.
A few years back, I rented what was classified as a “full-size” sedan. I hadn’t ordered it, but they were out of whatever class I had ordered, so they upgraded me. The thing had massive front fenders, at least compared to what I’m used to, and damned if I didn’t nick the right front fender on a concrete barrier in a parking garage. Ugh. In my own car(s), the turn would have cleared that barrier without incident. But I wasn’t in my own car(s), and it didn’t. Thank God for insurance. LOL.
Hopefully he avoids infection and has a great recovery. I don’t think he’ll be competitive again. He’s 45 and may not return until he’s 47. Even Phil knows at 51 the chances of winning the elusive US OPEN are near zero.
Tiger will be welcomed back in a year or so with great and deserved fanfare. He was great foe the game and his appearances will still boost interest immensely.
But for a competitor at that level he has to be kicking himself knowing what’s ahead.
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