WASHINGTON (WASHINGTON POST) - A lawsuit filed on Monday (May 13) against Tiger Woods claims the golfer contributed to the death of an employee of his restaurant who was in a one-car crash last December.

The employee, Mr Nicholas Immesberger, had a blood alcohol level that was more than three times the legal limit, according to the lawsuit. The suit, filed in Florida, claims Mr Immesberger was over-served at the restaurant before getting into his car to drive home.

In addition to Woods and his restaurant, The Woods Jupiter, the lawsuit also named the golfer's girlfriend, Ms Erica Herman, who was the general manager of the establishment in Jupiter, Florida.

They "knew (Immesberger) was suffering from the disease of alcoholism," the lawsuit states, and not only "ignored" that but "fuelled it" by letting him drink at the restaurant's bar "to the point of severe intoxication."

Mr Immesberger, who was 24 when he died on Dec 10, was a bartender at The Woods. According to the lawsuit, filed in a Palm Beach County court on behalf of his parents, he ended his shift at approximately 3pm that day and stayed at the restaurant, "sitting at the bar area", until he headed home.

The Florida Highway Patrol said at the time that Mr Immesberger's accident occurred at approximately 6pm along a stretch of the US 1 highway almost 25km north of The Woods. He was said to have lost control of his car and veered right across three lanes of the highway, running into a grass area before going airborne. He was not wearing a seat belt.

At a news conference on Tuesday (May 14) in West Palm Beach, Florida, one of the lawyers who filed the suit said that video footage from The Woods, which would have shown Mr Immesberger drinking there for three hours, had been "destroyed".

"Obviously it shows that somebody knew something had gone wrong and they wanted to get rid of that evidence," said the lawyer, Mr Spencer Kuvin, via ESPN.

"We have evidence to show that that videotape, showing Nick at the bar that night after he got off at 3pm, drinking for three hours at the bar, was destroyed shortly after the crash had occurred."

Woods is in Long Island this week to compete in the PGA Championship, which starts on Thursday at the Bethpage Black Course. He participated in a news conference on Tuesday to promote the event, and was asked about the lawsuit.

"We're all very sad that Nick passed away," Woods said. "It was a terrible night, a terrible ending, and just - we feel bad for him and his entire family. It's very sad."

At the PGA Championship, Woods will be seeking a second straight major title following his win last month at the Masters, his first major victory since 2008. Ms Herman has become a familiar figure to golf fans who have seen Woods greet her with affection after completing rounds as he staged a career comeback that began last year and culminated in his triumph last month at the Masters,

The lawsuit states Woods and Herman were drinking with Mr Immesberger at the bar of The Woods "only a few nights before the fatal crash". Employees and management of the restaurant were described as being aware that Mr Immesberger had attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and as having continued to serve him drinks even though they knew he had "no other way home" apart from driving there.

According to the lawsuit, Ms Herman "personally knew" Mr Immesberger and "specifically recruited" him to work at The Woods, and she was "well aware" of his "habitual use of alcohol".

The legal action is seeking damages in excess of US$15,000, citing emotional and financial harm to his parents Katherine Belowsky and Scott Duchene.