Tiger Woods’ DUI arrest and crash in Florida after taking opioid painkillers
Consensus Summary
Tiger Woods was arrested on 27 March 2024 in Florida after a high-speed rollover crash near his Jupiter Island home, where his Land Rover clipped a truck and flipped. Bodycam footage and police reports reveal Woods appeared impaired during sobriety tests, with deputies noting sluggish movements, bloodshot eyes, and difficulty maintaining balance. He admitted taking opioid painkillers (hydrocodone/Norco and Vicodin) earlier in the day but denied alcohol use, though he refused a urine test. Woods claimed he was distracted by his phone and radio when the crash occurred, though his probable cause affidavit suggests he crossed into oncoming traffic to pass the slowed vehicle. Charged with DUI, property damage, and test refusal—now a misdemeanor under Florida law—Woods pleaded not guilty and demanded a jury trial. His legal case is set for a readiness hearing on 5 May, while he has stepped away from golf to seek treatment, citing chronic pain from decades of surgeries on his back and leg. Donald Trump publicly defended Woods, attributing his struggles to physical pain rather than substance abuse. Damage to the other vehicle ranged between $5,000 and $7,254, and Woods was released on $1,150 bail after eight hours in custody.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Tiger Woods was arrested on 27 March 2024 in Martin County, Florida, for DUI after a rollover crash near Jupiter Island
- Woods told officers he was looking at his phone and changing the radio station before clipping a truck and flipping his Land Rover
- Deputies found two white pills in Woods’s pocket identified as hydrocodone (Norco) during the arrest
- Woods admitted to taking ‘a few medications’ earlier in the day but denied drinking alcohol; breath test showed no alcohol
- Woods refused a urine test for drug screening and was charged with DUI, property damage, and refusal to submit to testing
- Woods was released on $1,150 bail after eight hours in custody and pleaded not guilty, demanding a jury trial
- Woods has undergone seven back surgeries and over 20 surgeries on his right leg, including a 2021 crash that required amputation consideration
- The crash caused approximately $5,000–$7,254 in damage to the other vehicle (trailer/truck)
- Woods was granted permission to leave the U.S. for inpatient treatment and stepped away from golf ‘to focus on health’
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Woods told deputies he ‘looked down at my phone, and all of a sudden – boom’ before the crash
- Deputy Tatiana Levenar’s arrest report noted Woods was hiccuping and had to be told to keep his head still during sobriety tests
- Woods’s probable cause affidavit stated he crossed double yellow lines attempting to pass the slowed truck before the crash
- Officers observed Woods’s eyes as ‘bloodshot and glassy’ and movements as ‘lethargic and slow’ during questioning
- Woods mentioned taking Vicodin earlier in the day alongside blood pressure and cholesterol medication
- Donald Trump commented that Woods ‘lives a life of pain’ due to injuries and ‘doesn’t have an alcohol problem’
- The crash occurred on a ‘beachside, residential road’ on Jupiter Island
- The truck driver reported $7,254 in damage to the trailer, per sheriff’s report
- Woods was described as ‘sweating profusely’ and moving ‘slow and lethargic’ during questioning
- Florida’s 2023 law change was explicitly noted: refusing a breath/blood/urine test is now a misdemeanor for first offenses
- Woods’s arraignment was originally scheduled for 23 April but was waived for a not-guilty plea and jury trial demand
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The Guardian reports Woods took Vicodin earlier in the day, but ABC only mentions ‘a few medications’ without specifying Vicodin
- The Guardian’s probable cause affidavit states Woods crossed double yellow lines to pass the truck, while ABC does not mention this detail
- ABC reports $7,254 in damage to the truck/trailer, while the Guardian estimates $5,000 in damage (no source specifies trailer vs. truck)
- The Guardian notes Woods was taken to a hospital for medical clearance before jail, but ABC does not mention this step
- ABC states Woods was ‘granted permission to leave the U.S. one day after arrest,’ while the Guardian does not specify timing for this approval
Source Articles
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