Tiger Woods' Ex Rachel Uchitel Says She's "Shaken" Over Car Crash
Tiger Woods' ex, Rachel Uchitel, is sharing a message of caution after the golfer was hospitalized due to a car crash on Tuesday, Feb. 23.
Around 7 a.m., Woods was involved in a single-car crash near Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Lt. Michael White told E! News his injuries are "non-life threatening." However, Woods' agent Mark Steinberg told NBC he suffered multiple leg injuries and was undergoing surgery as of the early afternoon.
Uchitel, whose affair with Woods made headlines in 2009, exclusively told E! News how she's processing news of the accident.
"Obviously, I'm shaken to see this," the former nightclub hostess said. "I'm really hoping he walks out of there OK. Knowing Tiger, this is the last thing he wants, the entire world watching him this way. On the golf course, yes, but not like this."
She noted, "The most important thing is to make sure he's OK. Thank God it's a non-life threatening injury... He's one of the greatest athletes in the world and we've been seeing him in one of the greatest sports comebacks in history. It's going to be interesting to see what happens."
The 45-year-old athlete has been recovering from his fifth back surgery since December.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Woods was probably traveling at a "relatively greater speed than normal" when he crashed. White told E! News that Woods was conscious when he was removed from his car through a window. Authorities do not believe alcohol was involved, and the LASD Lomita Station is still investigating the incident.
However, Uchitel warned fans to be discerning when searching for the truth about the situation. "Personally, I just caution everyone, like myself, to wait for the facts before making judgements about what happened," Uchitel shared.
She also referenced her appearance in the two-part HBO documentary, Tiger, which came out in January. The TV correspondent explained how it ties into today's accident by saying, "If people took anything from the HBO documentary, it would be that in the absence of truth and fact, people will speculate or make up their own version of the story to create a narrative."
The doc allowed her to tell her side of things, following the worldwide media attention she received after dating Woods.
"I just felt like, you know what? I'm gonna tell my story," Uchitel said last month on E!'s Daily Pop. "I want to do it with somebody credible, and I want to do it with people I trust. I'm going to do it once."
At the time, the Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew alum said, "I have spent 10 years not speaking and just let people call me so many names, and I have really lived a discount version of my life."
Woods, who was married to Elin Nordegren from 2004 to 2010, is currently dating restaurant manager Erica Herman.
His ex-girlfriend Lindsey Vonn has publicly spoken about the crash as well, tweeting, "Praying for TW right now."
To see which other celebs have sent him well wishes, click here.
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