Tiger Woods formally charged with DUI after Florida rollover crash
Tiger Woods has been officially charged with driving under the influence following a two-vehicle rollover crash in Florida last month.
The 15-time major champion faces a potential prison sentence and fines if convicted of the charges stemming from the March 27 incident near his Jupiter Island home.
Police confirmed the golfing icon was driving a Range Rover that overturned after striking a trailer towed by a pickup truck.
Details of the Florida collision
Local sheriff John Budensiek stated the American was travelling at an unsafe speed when he attempted a late overtaking manoeuvre.
The collision caused his vehicle to roll onto its side, preventing the other driver from fully exiting the roadway.
Following the crash, the former world number one was detained for a mandatory eight-hour period before a close friend posted his bail.
Potential legal consequences
Authorities formally charged him on Wednesday with a DUI and refusing to submit to a chemical or physical test of his breath or urine.
Under state law, a first-time DUI conviction carries a maximum penalty of six months imprisonment and a fine of up to $1,000.
Despite a previous arrest in 2017 on suspicion of drink-driving, he avoided a custodial sentence at the time by pleading guilty to a reduced charge of reckless driving and completing a diversion programme.
Prison time considered unlikely
Legal experts suggest that while the charges are severe, a custodial sentence remains highly improbable for the 50-year-old.
“Do I think he’s going to be facing jail time? It’s probably unlikely because he’s Tiger Woods,” Palm Beach criminal defence lawyer Michelle Suskauer told the New York Post.
“What is a reasonable sentence in this case, probably probation.”
In the meantime, a Florida judge has granted the veteran athlete permission to travel abroad for medical treatment, with his private jet recently tracked arriving in Zurich.
