AP image
California:
Tiger Woods withdrew from his own golf tournament in California on Monday afternoon, citing injuries he sustained in a car accident outside his home early Friday. The direction and status of the police investigation into the incident remained unclear.
In a statement on his Web site, Woods, 33, said his injuries from the accident were the reason for the withdrawal from the Chevron World Challenge, which begins Thursday in Thousand Oaks, Calif. The tournament has raised money for the Tiger Woods Foundation since it began in 1999.
The stalemate continued Monday between the police and Woods, who has declined to speak with investigators from the Florida Highway Patrol. A spokeswoman for the patrol would not say whether the police were trying to obtain a search warrant for Woods' medical records from Health Central Hospital in Ocoee, Fla., where Woods was treated after the accident. The records could shed light on how Woods was injured.
"Contrary to various media reports, the Florida Highway Patrol has not made any comments regarding the details of the ongoing crash investigation involving Tiger Woods as it relates to medical information, or any other aspect of this investigation," a spokeswoman, Sgt. Kim Montes, said.
Leesa Bainbridge, the communications director for the Orange County clerk of courts, said Monday afternoon that "there is no search warrant recorded with our office at this point."
Dan Yates, a spokesman for Health Central, said he could not comment on whether the highway patrol had requested Woods' medical records.
Mark M. O'Mara, a criminal defense lawyer in Orlando, Fla., said that Florida and federal law made it difficult to obtain medical records unless an injury was severe and the crime was serious. The intent of the law, he said, is to balance an individual's right of privacy and the "compelling state interest" to investigate an accident or a crime.
"It's a question of what they're investigating," O'Mara said. "If they are investigating careless driving, the civil infraction may not be the basis for getting medical records."
Woods' 2009 Cadillac Escalade crashed into a fire hydrant and a neighbor's tree as he was pulling out of his driveway around 2:25 a.m. Friday in the gated community of Isleworth outside Orlando. When the police arrived, according to an incident report, Woods was lying unconscious on the ground and was bleeding from cuts on his lips.
Among the unanswered questions are why Woods was leaving his home at that hour; the circumstances surrounding the presence at the scene of his wife, Elin; and how he sustained his injuries.
O'Mara said that if the injuries were serious enough, the police could investigate what caused the accident and perhaps obtain records. Such a request can be done with or without a search warrant, he said, depending on the severity of the civil infraction or crime.
"If they are truly investigating a criminal offense, they have more basis to seek medical records," he said, noting that the police would need to show probable cause. The police have not indicated that a crime has occurred, he said.
Another criminal defense lawyer, John Liguori of Bartow, Fla., said that in seeking search warrants or subpoenas, the police and prosecutors face an added hurdle because the two known witnesses to a possible crime are, in this case, Woods and his wife. As a married couple, he said, they cannot be compelled to testify against each another.
O'Mara and Liguori each said that the police would confront the same issues of privacy if they sought any surveillance tapes taken from security cameras at Woods' home.
Woods has retained a prominent criminal defense lawyer in Central Florida, Mark NeJame.
In the statement on his Web site, Woods said, "I am extremely disappointed that I will not be at my tournament this week." The statement also said he would not play in any other events this year.
Woods, whose foundation is the main charitable beneficiary of the tournament, did not play in last December's event; he was recuperating from knee surgery but he attended in his role as the host.
Ratings for Woods' tournament for the last two years demonstrate the impact of his presence. When he did not play last year, the rating for the final round sank from a 1.9 (or 2.6 million viewers) in 2007, when he won the event for the fourth time, to a 1.2 (1.6 million viewers). NBC televised the weekend action.
According to the nonprofit Tiger Woods Charity Event Corp., the tournament generated $13.7 million in revenue in 2007.
Nike, the company Woods is most closely associated with, said in a statement Monday: "Tiger and his family have Nike's full support. We respect Tiger's request for privacy and our thoughts are with Tiger and his family at this time."
In a statement on his Web site, Woods, 33, said his injuries from the accident were the reason for the withdrawal from the Chevron World Challenge, which begins Thursday in Thousand Oaks, Calif. The tournament has raised money for the Tiger Woods Foundation since it began in 1999.
The stalemate continued Monday between the police and Woods, who has declined to speak with investigators from the Florida Highway Patrol. A spokeswoman for the patrol would not say whether the police were trying to obtain a search warrant for Woods' medical records from Health Central Hospital in Ocoee, Fla., where Woods was treated after the accident. The records could shed light on how Woods was injured.
"Contrary to various media reports, the Florida Highway Patrol has not made any comments regarding the details of the ongoing crash investigation involving Tiger Woods as it relates to medical information, or any other aspect of this investigation," a spokeswoman, Sgt. Kim Montes, said.
Leesa Bainbridge, the communications director for the Orange County clerk of courts, said Monday afternoon that "there is no search warrant recorded with our office at this point."
Dan Yates, a spokesman for Health Central, said he could not comment on whether the highway patrol had requested Woods' medical records.
Mark M. O'Mara, a criminal defense lawyer in Orlando, Fla., said that Florida and federal law made it difficult to obtain medical records unless an injury was severe and the crime was serious. The intent of the law, he said, is to balance an individual's right of privacy and the "compelling state interest" to investigate an accident or a crime.
"It's a question of what they're investigating," O'Mara said. "If they are investigating careless driving, the civil infraction may not be the basis for getting medical records."
Woods' 2009 Cadillac Escalade crashed into a fire hydrant and a neighbor's tree as he was pulling out of his driveway around 2:25 a.m. Friday in the gated community of Isleworth outside Orlando. When the police arrived, according to an incident report, Woods was lying unconscious on the ground and was bleeding from cuts on his lips.
Among the unanswered questions are why Woods was leaving his home at that hour; the circumstances surrounding the presence at the scene of his wife, Elin; and how he sustained his injuries.
O'Mara said that if the injuries were serious enough, the police could investigate what caused the accident and perhaps obtain records. Such a request can be done with or without a search warrant, he said, depending on the severity of the civil infraction or crime.
"If they are truly investigating a criminal offense, they have more basis to seek medical records," he said, noting that the police would need to show probable cause. The police have not indicated that a crime has occurred, he said.
Another criminal defense lawyer, John Liguori of Bartow, Fla., said that in seeking search warrants or subpoenas, the police and prosecutors face an added hurdle because the two known witnesses to a possible crime are, in this case, Woods and his wife. As a married couple, he said, they cannot be compelled to testify against each another.
O'Mara and Liguori each said that the police would confront the same issues of privacy if they sought any surveillance tapes taken from security cameras at Woods' home.
Woods has retained a prominent criminal defense lawyer in Central Florida, Mark NeJame.
In the statement on his Web site, Woods said, "I am extremely disappointed that I will not be at my tournament this week." The statement also said he would not play in any other events this year.
Woods, whose foundation is the main charitable beneficiary of the tournament, did not play in last December's event; he was recuperating from knee surgery but he attended in his role as the host.
Ratings for Woods' tournament for the last two years demonstrate the impact of his presence. When he did not play last year, the rating for the final round sank from a 1.9 (or 2.6 million viewers) in 2007, when he won the event for the fourth time, to a 1.2 (1.6 million viewers). NBC televised the weekend action.
According to the nonprofit Tiger Woods Charity Event Corp., the tournament generated $13.7 million in revenue in 2007.
Nike, the company Woods is most closely associated with, said in a statement Monday: "Tiger and his family have Nike's full support. We respect Tiger's request for privacy and our thoughts are with Tiger and his family at this time."
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
