By Rory Carroll and Dan Whitcomb
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Golfing champion Tiger Woods was hospitalized in Los Angeles on Tuesday with severe leg injuries suffered when his car swerved off a road and rolled down a steep hillside, requiring rescue crews to pry him from the wreckage, authorities said.
The injuries were not believed to be life-threatening, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva told a news conference hours later, adding that Woods was conscious and “able to communicate” when rescue personnel arrived.
The sheriff said there was no evidence of impairment when Woods was assessed by emergency workers at the scene, and that no blood samples were drawn by investigators after he was rushed by ambulance to the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.
Sheriff’s deputy Carlos Gonzales, who was the first to reach the wreck, described Woods, who was wearing his seatbelt, as “calm and lucid,” and…
