CNN
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Actor Jeremy Renner thanked fans from his hospital bed on Tuesday Continue to recover Two of them suffered surgeries after being hit by a snowplow in what officials described as a “tragic accident”.
“Thank you all for your kind words. I am too messed up right now to write. But I am sending you all love,” Reiner wrote in a comment Underneath a selfie appears to show him in a hospital bed.
The “Hawk” actor was injured on New Year’s Day near his home in Nevada while he was clearing snow from a private driveway to help his family members leave his home after a holiday gathering, according to his publicist, Samantha Mast.
“Jeremy is making positive progress and is awake, talking and in good spirits,” Mast said in a statement released on Tuesday night. “He remains in the ICU in a critical but stable condition. He is overwhelmed with your love and support. The family asks for your continued thoughts while he heals with his close loved ones.”
Renner, 51, was run over by his snowcat, a motorized machine used to remove snow, Washoe County Sheriff Darren Balaam said during a press conference.
At some point, said Balaam, the machine started rolling while Renner was not in the driver’s seat. Balaam explained that he was injured while trying to get back into the machine. Renner’s family members were with him when he was injured.
A spokesperson for Renner previously told CNN that he suffered “blunt force trauma to the chest and bone injuries.” Till date, the actor has undergone two surgeries related to the injuries, a source close to the actor told CNN.
Minutes before 9 a.m. Sunday, authorities received word of the accident through a 911 call reporting a snow cat and pedestrian crash on Mount Rose Freeway, Balaam said Tuesday.
Balaam said that although there was no snow at the time, this highway was closed and at least 12 cars were stranded due to the severe winter weather that was hitting the area.
Because of the circumstances, Balaam said, a helicopter landed near the interstate at 9:37 a.m., and Renner was taken to Reno District Hospital at 9:56 a.m.
At the time of the injury, parts of western Nevada were blanketed in snow. The Reno area received between 6 and 12 inches of snow at elevations less than 5,000 feet between New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, and up to 18 inches at higher elevations, according to National Weather Service in Reno.
Balaam said of Reiner: “He was a great neighbour, and he used to plow those paths for his neighbour.”
Authorities do not believe Renner was intoxicated during the incident, and Balaam called it a “tragic accident”.
Balaam said the Washoe County sheriff’s office had Renner take the ice for analysis “to rule out possible mechanical failure,” which is a normal part of an investigation with such severity of injuries.
During an appearance on “CNN This Morning” Wednesday, Balaam said the actor is very active in the Reno community.
“He is one of our deputies honorary here in the sheriff’s office,” Balaam said. This is a non-profit organization [for] members of our community. And they helped us do Shop For The Sheriff, where they spend $50,000 and donate it and he’s one of those members. It does a lot for our community.”
“When I took office in 2019, he appeared on ‘Shop For The Sheriff’ and it’s a must-see for kids and parents,” Balaam added. “He takes time out from his busy days to give autographs and go shopping with the kids. He does so much in the community and what I really enjoy about Mr. Renner is that he does so often and no one knows. He does it out of the kindness of his heart.”
A day after the accident, Renner’s family released a statement thanking the hospital staff and first responders while the actor remained in the hospital.
“Jeremy’s family would like to express their gratitude to the wonderful doctors and nurses who care for him, Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue, Washoe County Sheriff, Reno Mayor Hilary Chevy and the Carano and Murdock families,” a statement from his spokesperson read. “They are also hugely overwhelmed and appreciative of the outpouring of love and support from his fans.”
