Jeremy Renner accident – update: Police seize Snowcat that crushed Marvel star to rule out ‘mechanical failure’

Unfortunately, some people on social media have used Renner’s accident to craft memes making light of his injury.

Many of Renner’s fans have scathed those joking about the incident on Twitter, with one writing: “Y’all quit saying stuff like, ‘he’s Hawkeye, as long as his arms are fine’ and ‘he’s a superhero’ Y’ALL THIS IS AN ACTUAL PERSON! YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE CONCERNED FOR HIM! NOT MAKING YOUR DUMB JOKES!”

Following the Sheriff’s press conference, a reporter asked if anyone could drive a Snowcat or if you needed a licence to operate one.

“It was on a private road, so he can drive that Snowcat. In this instance, as Mr Renner always does, those private roads. He was being a great neighbour and he was ploughing those roads for his neighbours up there. Again they had three feet,” Sheriff Balaam responded.

Now, while the Marvel actor was on private roads, many companies require professional Snowcat operators/drivers to have at least a driver’s licence. Some even require their drivers to go through training and certification before operating the Snowcat.

Further in his press briefing on Tuesday (3 January), Sheriff Darin Balaam of Washoe County shared clarifying “details” of Renner’s accident to clear up “some misinformation that’s circulated”.

Balaam said: “I want to be clear here as well as going on a major accident investigation and we are handling it as we would any other major accident investigation. We are still conducting interviews and processing items from the scene.

“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.

“Mr Renner went to retrieve his PistenBully, or Snowcat, an extremely large piece of snow removal equipment, weighing at least 14,330 lbs (approx 6500 kg), in an effort to get his vehicle moving,” he continued.

“After successfully towing his personal vehicle from its stuck location, Mr Renner got out of his PistenBully to speak to his family member. At this point, it is observed that the PistenBully started to roll. In an effort to stop the rolling PistenBully, Mr Renner attempts to get back into the driver’s seat of the Pistenbully.

“Based on our investigation, it’s at this point that Mr Renner is run over by the Pistenbully. An eye-witness detailed seeing Mr Renner getting into the PistenBully and not seeing him again until the PistenBully came to a rest in a pile of snow in front of his driveway,” Balaam explained.

“At this point in the investigation, we do not believe Mr Renner was impaired at all and we believe this is a tragic accident.”

While the investigation is ongoing, Balaam stressed that they “do not suspect any foul play”.

During a brief press conference yesterday (3 January), Sheriff Darin Balaam of Washoe County provided a quick timeline of local authorities and medical response to Renner’s accident.

Balaam began: “On Sunday morning at 8:55am, a 911 call was received for a 10-50, or a crash involving a Snowcat versus pedestrian. The subject had been run over by a Snowcat in the area of Mount Rose Highway.”

Elaborating on the weather and road conditions at that hour, Balaam said: “The previous evening, we had seen approximately three feet of snow fall in the Mt Rose area, and multiple cars were abandoned on the multiple roads, including Mt Rose Hwy.

“Additionally, while it was not snowing at the time of the accident, Mt Rose Hwy was closed at that hour because of severe winter weather, of snow which had not yet been removed from the highway.”

Balaam shared that the first Washoe County Sheriff’s unit arrived on-scene at 9:30am, explaining that the “delay was a direct result of the weather, the traffic – moving around abandoned cars in the roadway – and the closure of Mt Rose Hwy”.

He continued: “When the first Washoe County Sheriff’s Office unit arrived on-scene, Truckee’s Meadows Fire Protection District and North Lake Tahoe Protection Fire District were on-scene.

“At 9:37, care flight landed in the vicinity of Mt Rose Hwy,” Balaam added. “At 9:56, Mr Renner was taken via care flight to a Reno area hospital.”

Amidst all of the online chatter and confusion about some of the facts of his accident, read Joe Sommerlad’s helpful piece below.

Marvel star recovering in Nevada hospital following ‘tragic’ New Year’s incident

Initial reports following the incident said that the actor had lost a large amount of blood from his leg after the snow plough ran him over.

While the extent and impact of his injuries are unknown at the moment, it has been shared that the actor sustained blunt chest trauma and orthopaedic injuries during the accident.

As of now, he has undergone two surgeries to treat “extensive” injuries sustained in the accident.

Renner’s Marvel co-star Chris Evans has also added to the support.

“Tough as nails. Love you buddy,” the Captain America star commented on Renner’s first Instagram post since the accident.

After Jeremy Renner posted a selfie from his hospital bed, the star has been inundated with support from fans, colleagues and celebrity friends.

His fellow Marvel-mates, Chris Hemsworth and Chris Pratt, have shared their tributes in the form of replies on Instagram.

“Speedy recovery buddy. Sending love your way!” Thor star Hemsworth wrote.

Meanwhile, Pratt, who plays Star-Lord in the Guardians of the Galaxy films, commented: “Continued prayers your way brutha.”

In recent weeks, Jeremy Renner has become known in his Nevada neighbourhood for helping with the mounting snow.

According to Sheriff Darin Balaam, the Hawkeye star is a “great neighbour” and always uses his snow plough to clear local roads.

“Throughout the community, he has been very generous and he’s one of those individuals that most of the time you don’t know he’s doing it, but he has made a tremendous impact on this community,” he told US media.

Jeremy Renner’s injuries occurred after he was run over by his PistenBully, a piece of snow-ploughing equipment.

According to reports at the scene, Renner had been trying to rescue his car, which had become stuck in the snow. After he stepped in front of the PistenBully, the heavy-duty snow groomer started to roll and ran him over.

A PistenBully is said to weigh at least 6500kg, making it three times heavier than a standard car.