Jeremy Renner was run over by his own six-tonne snowplough after he helped free a family member who had become stuck in heavy snow, it has been revealed.
On Tuesday, the Marvel actor thanked fans for their “kind words” while he continues to recover in hospital following the accident near his home in California.
The 51-year-old star shared an update on his condition on social media two days after the incident, which saw him being airlifted to hospital after he suffered “blunt chest trauma and orthopaedic injuries”.
Posting a picture of himself in a hospital bed with a bruised face on his official Instagram page, he told fans he was “too messed up” to send a longer message.
“Thank you all for your kind words. I’m too messed up now to type. But I send love to you all,” he wrote.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam said the Sheriff’s office had received a call at 8.55am following reports of a crash involving a SnowCat ploughing machine and a civilian.
“Based on our investigation, Mr Renner’s personal vehicle, which was being driven by a family member, had become stuck in the snow near his home,” Sheriff Balaam told the news conference.
“Mr Renner went to retrieve his… SnowCat, an extremely large piece of snow removal equipment, weighing at least 14,330 pounds (6.4 tonnes), in an effort to get his vehicle moving.”
Sheriff Balaam said that after successfully freeing his vehicle, Jeremy had got out to speak with the family member when the SnowCat had begun to roll.
The Hurt Locker star had attempted to get back into the machine, at which point he was run over, he said.
Sheriff Balaam added that there were no signs of “any foul play” and that the incident had been a “tragic accident”.
He went on to praise the actor, who is an honorary Washoe County Deputy Sheriff, and his “tremendous impact” in the community.
“He’s had a huge impact, not only in this office and helping us with our outreach… but throughout the community he has been very generous,” Sheriff Balaam said.
“He is one of those individuals that, most of the time you don’t know that he’s doing it, but he has made a tremendous impact on this community.”
The two-time Oscar nominee is well-known for playing Hawkeye in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
He has also featured in films including American Hustle and Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol.
He also stars in the Paramount+ series The Mayor Of Kingstown, with the second series set to premiere on the service in the UK on January 16.
In a statement provided to the PA news agency, his publicist said: “Jeremy’s family would like to express their gratitude to the incredible doctors and nurses looking after him, Truckee Meadows Fire and Rescue, Washoe County Sheriff, Reno City Mayor Hillary Schieve and the Carano and Murdock families.
“They are also tremendously overwhelmed and appreciative of the outpouring of love and support from his fans.”
The accident comes as blizzard conditions battered the US over the Christmas and New Year period, resulting in dozens of deaths.
An Arctic blast stirred up heavy winds and snow in Nevada on New Year’s Eve, leaving thousands without power.
Jeremy has previously spoken about the snow at his US ranch a number of times on social media.
He tweeted a photograph of what appeared to be his car trapped under several feet of snow in December, writing: “Lake Tahoe snowfall is no joke.”
Meanwhile, in an Instagram highlights post titled Holiday, he shared a photograph of his snowplough, captioning it: “Snow cat buried in snow at the ranch.”
He also shared a video from his snowplough a week ago on his Instagram story, writing: “Who is excited for the holidays”, and another post which read: “Nearly done with sledding hill for the kids.”