Jeremy Renner Was Helping Stranded Person When Hit by His Snowplow

Jeremy Renner attends the Hawkeye Los Angeles Launch Event at El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California on Nov. 17, 2021. Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney

Actor Jeremy Renner, who is now in a stable but critical condition after he suffered an accident involving a snow plow on New Year’s Day, was helping a stranded driver near his home at the time, according to the mayor of Reno, Nevada.

The “Avengers” star had gotten out of his snowplow about a quarter mile from his Tahoe property to help a stranded driver when the plow ran over him around 9 a.m. local time, near Mt. Rose Highway.

“He was helping someone stranded in the snow,” Mayor Hillary Schieve told the Reno-Gazette Journal. “He is always helping others.”

Schieve told the Reno Gazette Journal late Monday that she was alerted of the accident on the morning of New Year’s Day, and added that she and Renner are friends. She described him as a charitable person who has quietly helped donate to various causes in the community over the years.

“There are a few times he’ll post about what he has done or donated toys, but most of it, you would never know he is doing,” Schieve said.

“He’s always calling and saying, ‘Hey Mayor, what do you need?’,” she added.

Renner, 51, sustained blunt chest trauma and orthopedic injuries following the accident, and has undergone surgery, his publicist, Samantha Mast, told multiple outlets in a statement late Monday. He remains in the intensive care unit in “critical but stable condition,” she added.

The actor was the only person injured in the accident, according to local reports citing the sheriff’s office.

He has since shared a photo on Instagram from the hospital bed. In his first comments since the incident, he said, “Thank you all for your kind words. ?. Im too messed up now to type. But I send love to you all.”

According to TMZ, citing a neighbor, the snowplow had run over one of Renner’s legs, which caused him to lose a large amount of blood, and shortly after the freak accident, a separate neighbor, who is a doctor, rushed to tourniquet Renner’s leg while awaiting paramedics.

It added that police arrived at 8 p.m. local time on Tuesday to impound Renner’s snow plow. “The issue, we’re told, is the machine has extensive safety features, and should not have rolled over Jeremy,” the tabloid news website reported.

Renner was airlifted from the area and flown to a local hospital in Reno. While the hospital’s name was not disclosed, the only trauma center in Northern Nevada is Renown Regional Medical Center.

The National Weather Service issued a snow warning over the New Year weekend for Reno and the surrounding areas, including Lake Tahoe Basin. It reported that the Tahoe Basin at the lake level received 20 to 24 inches of snow on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.

Much of the United States was impacted by a major winter storm in the lead up to the New Year that brought excess snowfall, as well as freezing blizzard conditions. Heavy snow to the Plains and upper Midwest is expected this week, the National Weather Service announced on Jan. 2.

Renner is best known for his roles in the “Avengers” and “Captain America” films as well as in the “Mission Impossible” movie franchise. He has been nominated twice for an Oscar for his performances in “The Hurt Locker” and “The Town.” He currently stars in the Paramount+ series “Mayor of Kingstown” and Marvel’s “Hawkeye” series on Disney+.

Katabella Roberts contributed to this report.