Golf veteran Ben Hogan was also once seriously injured in a violent car wreck similar to the Tiger Woods crash on Tuesday – and came back to win six more majors.
Hogan, who died in 1997 at the age of 84, almost died in February 1949 when a Greyhound bus rammed into his black Cadillac while he was driving with his wife in Texas, According to golf channel.
The accident left Hogan with a broken collarbone, fractured ribs, a broken ankle, a double fracture to his pelvis, and a deep wound to his left leg.
It took about an hour for the emergency personnel to get out of the wreckage.
His wife, Valerie, survived with minor injuries in large part, as the golf player shielded her body with her body moments before the impact.
Doctors at the El Paso Hospital where Hogan was expected to be transported did not survive his injuries – but Hogan recovered and returned to the green in less than a year.
Hogan played in pain for the rest of his life, but continued a prolific career, ranking him as one of golf’s greatest players with 64 total Professional Golfers Association Tour wins. His PGA Tour Profile.
On Tuesday, Woods suffered injuries to both legs and was taken into surgery after rolling his SUV in Rancho Palos Verde, Los Angeles County.
Despite similar injuries in two accidents, Hogan was 36 at the time of his accident, while Woods is 45 years old and has struggled to regain his former dominance in recent years.
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