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OT..Tiger Woods

jensberg

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Jul 28, 2006
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Police records now say he was going 87 miles an hour and hit the tree at 75 miles an hour. They are claiming it was an honest mistake of hitting the gas instead of the brake. He was also never tested for any impairment. Not sure any of us in that situation would have received the same treatment
 
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Police records now say he was going 87 miles an hour and hit the tree at 75 miles an hour. They are claiming it was an honest mistake of hitting the gas instead of the brake. He was also never tested for any impairment. Not sure any of us in that situation would have received the same treatment
I used that line when I wrecked our car when I was 16 years old.
 
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Police records now say he was going 87 miles an hour and hit the tree at 75 miles an hour. They are claiming it was an honest mistake of hitting the gas instead of the brake. He was also never tested for any impairment. Not sure any of us in that situation would have received the same treatment

Given he ended up having major surgery I'm guessing his blood got a thorough examination at the hospital.
 
Given he ended up having major surgery I'm guessing his blood got a thorough examination at the hospital.
Law enforcement confirmed today they never requested toxicology from the hospital. Also claimed it would be the same for anyone else. I find that hard to believe.
 
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Why would the police request a toxicology report if no other person was hurt and no significant property damage occurred? Plus would the hospital be required to release the toxicology info? Seems like given patient info laws the police would have to demonstrate a need to know. Any ambulance chasers on the Board? Lastly, if an accident patient came into an emergency room with one leg in three directions, would an emergency room doctor order a toxicology test? All seems like a pointless effort just to satisfy the public's curiosity.
 
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Why would the police request a toxicology report if no other person was hurt and no significant property damage occurred? Plus would the hospital be required to release the toxicology info? Seems like given patient info laws the police would have to demonstrate a need to know. Any ambulance chasers on the Board? Lastly, if an accident patient came into an emergency room with one leg in three directions, would an emergency room doctor order a toxicology test? All seems like a pointless effort just to satisfy the public's curiosity.

I am not a policing expert but I am under the impression that field sobriety tests and or toxicology tests are given all the time in the case of single car accidents. This seems like a clear cut case of preferential treatment. Am I way off the mark here?
 
Why would the police request a toxicology report if no other person was hurt and no significant property damage occurred? Plus would the hospital be required to release the toxicology info? Seems like given patient info laws the police would have to demonstrate a need to know. Any ambulance chasers on the Board? Lastly, if an accident patient came into an emergency room with one leg in three directions, would an emergency room doctor order a toxicology test? All seems like a pointless effort just to satisfy the public's curiosity.
Just because the only person injured in this particular incident was Tiger, that doesn't mean that he didn't engage in behavior or make choices that would endanger other hypothetical drivers somewhere within some radius of Tiger when he chooses to get behind the wheel.
 
I am not a policing expert but I am under the impression that field sobriety tests and or toxicology tests are given all the time in the case of single car accidents. This seems like a clear cut case of preferential treatment. Am I way off the mark here?
On the contrary, you are on the mark in all material respects. Tiger said shortly after the accident that he had no idea what happened. That suggests to me that he was on one or more of the various prescription medications to which he has been addicted for a long time. When Tiger was involved in a rather nasty accident in 2017 he was subjected to a blood test, which revealed the presence of 5 prescription pain meds at the time of that incident. I can't recall all of them, but the list included Xanax, Ambien and Dilaudid. My wife has taken Dilaudid from time to time when she has experienced intractable pain related to her cancer treatment. It is very powerful.
 
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Just because the only person injured in this particular incident was Tiger, that doesn't mean that he didn't engage in behavior or make choices that would endanger other hypothetical drivers somewhere within some radius of Tiger when he chooses to get behind the wheel.
Correct. Thousands of people are charged with DUI every year, related to drugs or alcohol, despite the absence of an accident or injuries.
 
I get the theory of a potential DUI or drug issue, but he was hauled off in an ambulance with serious injuries. Someone is doing a breathylizer or drawing blood when they are hauling an injured person out of a broken front windshield or transporting that person to the hospital? And, if not, once the hospital gets the patient, I don't know, but seems like the patient's tests are his alone unless there is some sort of court action. Then absent any injuries, etc, why would the cops pursue? Look I don't care, but I find it hard to believe that under Tiger's accident scenario, any of the first responders were focused on seeing if he could walk a straight line.
 
Police records now say he was going 87 miles an hour and hit the tree at 75 miles an hour. They are claiming it was an honest mistake of hitting the gas instead of the brake. He was also never tested for any impairment. Not sure any of us in that situation would have received the same treatment
Did he receive a speeding ticket?
 
On the contrary, you are on the mark in all material respects. Tiger said shortly after the accident that he had no idea what happened. That suggests to me that he was on one or more of the various prescription medications to which he has been addicted for a long time. When Tiger was involved in a rather nasty accident in 2017 he was subjected to a blood test, which revealed the presence of 5 prescription pain meds at the time of that incident. I can't recall all of them, but the list included Xanax, Ambien and Dilaudid. My wife has taken Dilaudid from time to time when she has experienced intractable pain related to her cancer treatment. It is very powerful.

OK, but just curious, when did he take the blood test? Was he sitting on the ground, next to his car getting a syringe of blood drawn? Just want to know the next time I wrap a car around a pole.
 
No worries. Saw an article. Police said they lacked probable cause - smell of alcohol, etc - to request toxicology report from hospital. Don't draw blood or do breathylizer at accident site if injuries are traumatic.
 
He had blood drawn at hospital but police had no reason to ask for it(??). Also NO speeding ticket despite 87 in a 45 zone. Seems both are preferential.
 
OK, but just curious, when did he take the blood test? Was he sitting on the ground, next to his car getting a syringe of blood drawn? Just want to know the next time I wrap a car around a pole.
I don't know when the blood test was drawn in 2017, but Tiger was a disoriented mess when police arrived despite no apparent physical injuries. Tiger told the police that he believed he was in California, but the incident occurred in Jupiter Florida. His mug shot is sad. Jack Nicklaus said Tiger needs help with his prescription drug problems and Woods checked himself in to drug rehab shortly thereafter. Tiger admitted that that the incident was a result of prescription medication abuse. In cases like this, the police generally take the driver to a nearby hospital for a blood test.
 
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I don't know when the blood test was drawn in 2017, but Tiger was a disoriented mess when police arrived despite no apparent physical injuries. Tiger told the police that he believed he was in California, but the incident occurred in Jupiter Florida. His mug shot is sad. Jack Nicklaus said Tiger needs help with his prescription drug problems and Woods checked himself in to drug rehab shortly thereafter. Tiger admitted that that the incident was a result of prescription medication abuse. In cases like this, the police generally take the driver to a nearby hospital for a blood test.
By the way, the drugs involved were Vicoden, Xanax, Ambien, Dilaudid, and THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. Can't imagine that any of our physicians on this Board would recommend that combo if one is headed out for a leisurely drive.
 
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I get the theory of a potential DUI or drug issue, but he was hauled off in an ambulance with serious injuries. Someone is doing a breathylizer or drawing blood when they are hauling an injured person out of a broken front windshield or transporting that person to the hospital? And, if not, once the hospital gets the patient, I don't know, but seems like the patient's tests are his alone unless there is some sort of court action. Then absent any injuries, etc, why would the cops pursue? Look I don't care, but I find it hard to believe that under Tiger's accident scenario, any of the first responders were focused on seeing if he could walk a straight line.
Yeah you’re not going to do a field sobriety test when the first priority is to get him to a hospital ASAP. It’s not really preferential treatment it’s just practicality. And as pointed out above - he didn’t hurt anyone else, only himself, so who is going to press charges here / who is the victim? If he hit someone else clearly he would be fully on the hook for it, but thank goodness he didn’t. I don’t know if they gave him a ticket for speeding / reckless driving or not, I would imagine they easily could, but frankly that’s a rounding error relative to the hundreds of $K (million plus?) worth of medical / insurance bills that he is dealing plus the cost of disrupting his own career.

I’m all for him not getting preferential treatment, but I don’t really see what the problem is in this situation. Also someone told me (I have not verified, I’m not a lawyer) that California has some state law on confidentiality of patient information that I think holds in this case due to no other injured parties or something like that who would have the right to request information.

PS my suspicion from the description of him accelerating down the hill is maybe he drifted off to sleep and foot pressed down on gas, perhaps influenced by other factors or maybe just normal tiredness
 
Yeah you’re not going to do a field sobriety test when the first priority is to get him to a hospital ASAP. It’s not really preferential treatment it’s just practicality. And as pointed out above - he didn’t hurt anyone else, only himself, so who is going to press charges here / who is the victim? If he hit someone else clearly he would be fully on the hook for it, but thank goodness he didn’t. I don’t know if they gave him a ticket for speeding / reckless driving or not, I would imagine they easily could, but frankly that’s a rounding error relative to the hundreds of $K (million plus?) worth of medical / insurance bills that he is dealing plus the cost of disrupting his own career.

I’m all for him not getting preferential treatment, but I don’t really see what the problem is in this situation. Also someone told me (I have not verified, I’m not a lawyer) that California has some state law on confidentiality of patient information that I think holds in this case due to no other injured parties or something like that who would have the right to request information.

PS my suspicion from the description of him accelerating down the hill is maybe he drifted off to sleep and foot pressed down on gas, perhaps influenced by other factors or maybe just normal tiredness
HIPAA is federal legislation which essentially protects patient confidentiality. If, however, police have solid grounds for suspecting DUI, they could probably subpoena blood test results.
 
I am not a policing expert but I am under the impression that field sobriety tests and or toxicology tests are given all the time in the case of single car accidents. This seems like a clear cut case of preferential treatment. Am I way off the mark here?
Tiger failed the straight line walking test
 
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Police records now say he was going 87 miles an hour and hit the tree at 75 miles an hour. They are claiming it was an honest mistake of hitting the gas instead of the brake. He was also never tested for any impairment. Not sure any of us in that situation would have received the same treatment

No idea what the speed limit on the street was, but say it was 50. Slipping and hitting the gas to go 53? Sure. Slipping and hitting the gas to drive 87? No shot in hell. You don't pick up that much speed before you realize you accidentally hit the gas instead of the break
 
It has been many years, but when I was a surgical resident, we would rarely, if ever, obtain blood toxicology for trauma patients. For the most part, it simply wasn't relevant for the immediate care and stabilization of injured patients, so it was never a medical necessity compared to other labs and tests needed. As an example, a classic teaching question for students and residents was that if you could only get one lab drawn on a trauma patient, what would it be? The answer is a type and cross, which is the lab we need in order to get their blood type and antibody cross-matching in preparation for a blood transfusion.

If the police requested a blood toxicology, there was a separate mechanism for doing this, but we as the health care providers were never required to order it for them.

Practices may be different now and there are probably different laws/regulations for each state and municipality, so please take this in context.
 
Why would the police request a toxicology report if no other person was hurt and no significant property damage occurred? Plus would the hospital be required to release the toxicology info? Seems like given patient info laws the police would have to demonstrate a need to know. Any ambulance chasers on the Board? Lastly, if an accident patient came into an emergency room with one leg in three directions, would an emergency room doctor order a toxicology test? All seems like a pointless effort just to satisfy the public's curiosity.
Having defended a few fatality involved car wrecks - I can tell you that if you get the med records, you will find toxicology. It will not say - guy was drunk! But it will have a list of things found in the blood and you can determine what those things were.

But at that early hour, I doubt drugs absent pain killers. I would guess distracted driving. I also cannot understand why he didn't have a driver. Raise your hand if you would volunteer to drive Tiger around for a week if only for the just to chat with him.
 
Wouldn't it be advisable for the ER docs to know if/how much medication he had in his system when he arrived in the hospital? Might this not affect the dosage regimen they administer to get him stabilized?
 
Wouldn't it be advisable for the ER docs to know if/how much medication he had in his system when he arrived in the hospital? Might this not affect the dosage regimen they administer to get him stabilized?
I would think so, but I'm no doc. The point we're all missing, though, is Tiger's long history of abusing prescription pain medications. He was actually in rehab for this problem as recently as 2017. He could not have been conscious a short distance from his hotel to be traveling at 87 mph. Given all of Tigers serious orthopedic problems, it's easy to understand how he could become addicted to pain meds, but it seems pretty clear that this is what caused the most recent accident.
 
It has been many years, but when I was a surgical resident, we would rarely, if ever, obtain blood toxicology for trauma patients. For the most part, it simply wasn't relevant for the immediate care and stabilization of injured patients, so it was never a medical necessity compared to other labs and tests needed. As an example, a classic teaching question for students and residents was that if you could only get one lab drawn on a trauma patient, what would it be? The answer is a type and cross, which is the lab we need in order to get their blood type and antibody cross-matching in preparation for a blood transfusion.

If the police requested a blood toxicology, there was a separate mechanism for doing this, but we as the health care providers were never required to order it for them.

Practices may be different now and there are probably different laws/regulations for each state and municipality, so please take this in context.
In a Level One trauma center, the anesthesiologist would order a tox screen under the circumstances of this accident
 
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Police records now say he was going 87 miles an hour and hit the tree at 75 miles an hour. They are claiming it was an honest mistake of hitting the gas instead of the brake. He was also never tested for any impairment. Not sure any of us in that situation would have received the same treatment
He's lucky to be alive and not permanently mangled.
 
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