Report: Witness told police Tiger was drinking before crash

Orlando, Fla. — Tiger Woods was drinking before he wrecked his SUV two weeks ago, a witness told a Florida Highway Patrol trooper.

That witness was the same person who pulled Woods from his damaged truck, a document released Monday states. Elin Nordegren Woods, Tiger Woods’ wife, told Windermere police that she dragged the injured golfer from his Cadillac Escalade about 2:25 a.m. Nov. 27 with the help of a golf club.

The document does not give the witness’ identity, and a spokeswoman for FHP said she could not immediately confirm who gave investigators that information.

That same person told troopers the champion golfer was prescribed Ambien and Vicodin, the document states.

This new information was included in a one-page, written request by FHP Trooper Joshua A. Evans to the Orange-Osceola State Attorney’s Office. He asked for prosecutors’ help getting a subpoena for “medical blood results” in the Woods case.

Assistant State Attorney Steve Foster, who heads the state attorney’s intake division, denied the request Nov. 30.

“Insufficient information provided to lawfully issue subpoena,” Foster wrote.

Troopers wanted the blood results because they suspected Tiger Woods of “driving under the influence with property damage,” the request said.

“A witness stated that the driver had consumed alcohol earlier in the day and the same witness removed the driver from the vehicle after the collision. Also, the same witness stated that the driver was prescribed medication (Ambien and Vicatin (sic)). Impairment of the driver is also suspected due to the careless driving that resulted in the traffic crash,” the request states.

It’s standard procedure for an investigator to file a written request to prosecutors for help obtaining a subpoena. If prosecutors deny the request, no subpoena is sought.

Also Monday, a newly released police report states Tiger Woods’ wife Elin was kneeling over him as he lay near his damaged SUV when a Windermere, Fla., police officer first reached the scene of the golfer’s Nov. 27 crash.

A brief portion of the report released Monday morning described Woods as lying in the road covered by a blanket and with his head on a pillow while Elin Nordegren kneeled beside him.

“My immediate observations were that of an unresponsive (male) subject, breathing adequately with lacerations to the lips and noticeable blood in the mouth,” Officer Brandon McDonnell wrote in his incident report. “Mr. Woods was not responsive. I conducted a brief physical assessment and nothing stood out be immediately alarming.”

McDonnell then wrote Woods “periodically attempted to get up; for his safety, I kept him lying down, using the pillow to immobilize his cervical spinal column.”

Windermere police released the report shortly before noon Monday after it was obtained earlier from the agency by Radar Online, a pop culture website.

Until Monday, Windermere Police Chief Daniel Saylor did not respond to repeated requests for comment about the crash. Saylor said he had no idea how Radar Online obtained the incident report and said he will be investigating how this more than week-old report became public before being approved by a supervisor.

The police chief previously gave interviews to national media about the crash even though his agency was not involved in the crash investigation.

McDonnell and fellow Windermere police Officer Jason Sipos, were the first law enforcement officers to reach the crash scene, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. They apparently left their jurisdiction to go to Isleworth in unincorporated Orange County under a mutual aid agreement with the sheriff’s office, records show.

The Windermere officers responded at 2: 29 a.m. after hearing a police radio broadcast about a crash with injuries in the gated community that borders Windermere, according to the incident report. The officers arrived at 2:33 a.m., five minutes before the first sheriff’s unit and county Fire Rescue Engine 35, the report stated.

Woods’ Cadillac Escalade SUV was still running with the front-right passenger door jammed closed by the crash impact with a tree, according to the report. The officers found $235 in the vehicle’s center console.

The officers also noted that a golf car was parked near the damaged vehicle and that two golf clubs were lying on the ground. Previous reports indicated that Woods’ wife used a golf club to break the rear passenger windows to open the driver’s door and free her husband from the SUV.

The Florida Highway Patrol led the accident investigation and filed no criminal charges. It issued a citation to Woods for careless driving and fined him $164. The citation means four points on Woods’ driver’s license.

Injuries that Woods incurred in the accident — Woods was hospitalized for less than 12 hours after he had a cut lip and blood in his mouth, according to police reports — prevented him from serving as host to his own charity event over the weekend.

On Sunday, Woods issued a thank you to “everyone affiliated with the event,” especially Chevron, the event’s title sponsor.

“I’d also like to thank all of our supporting sponsors and my tireless, dedicated staff, board and volunteers who collectively produce this first-class golf tournament,” Woods said in a statement on his Web site. “I am so grateful to them for their efforts, and I am sincerely sorry I was unable to fulfill my duties as host and player in this important event.”