The actor Jeremy Renner, who was critically injured on Sunday, was run over by a snow plow weighing more than 14,000 pounds that he had used to tow his car on a snowed-in private road near his home in Reno, Nev., the authorities said on Tuesday.
Mr. Renner, 51, had been helping a family member who was driving the car and had gotten stuck, Sheriff Darin Balaam of Washoe County said during a news conference at which the authorities offered new details about the accident.
After successfully towing the car, Mr. Renner got off the plow, which then began to roll, the sheriff said. He said that Mr. Renner had attempted to get back into the driver’s seat to stop the rolling vehicle, but was “run over.”
On Tuesday, Mr. Renner, who underwent surgery on Monday and had “blunt chest trauma and orthopedic injuries,” remained in intensive care in critical but stable condition, according to a statement from his representative, Samantha Mast.
A photograph posted on Mr. Renner’s Instagram profile showed him bruised, wearing a hospital gown. “Thank you all for your kind words. 🙏. Im too messed up now to type. But I send love to you all,” he said in a caption beneath the image.
Ms. Mast, the representative, said that Mr. Renner was “making positive progress and is awake, talking and in good spirits.”
Mr. Renner has played Hawkeye, a member of Marvel’s Avengers superhero team, in several movies and a television series. He has also been nominated twice for an Oscar, for his roles in “The Hurt Locker” (2008) and “The Town” (2010).
Ms. Mast said Mr. Renner and his family were “tremendously overwhelmed and appreciative of the outpouring of love and support from his fans.”
In recent weeks, Mr. Renner, who also stars in the Paramount+ thriller series “Mayor of Kingstown,” shared several updates on social media about the wintry conditions in Reno, Nev., as the region was blanketed in snow.
Sheriff Balaam said these treacherous conditions had made Mr. Renner’s rescue challenging, as several cars had been abandoned along the roadways near his house, and a major highway was closed.
The authorities, he added, had received the first 911 call just before 9 a.m. on Sunday, and had arrived at the scene of the accident by 9:30 a.m., before airlifting Mr. Renner to a hospital just before 10 a.m.
