Jeremy Renner was “trying to save nephew” when he was crushed by his snowplough

Jeremy Renner was trying to save his nephew when he was crushed by his snowplough on New Year’s Day.

The Avengers star was left in critical condition in a hospital ICU following the incident, suffering blunt chest trauma, orthopaedic injuries, and breaking over 30 bones in his body.

• READ MORE: What happened to Jeremy Renner? Here’s everything we know about the actor’s accident

According to a Nevada sheriff’s office incident report (via CNN), the actor was trying to tow his nephew’s truck out of the snow when his Pistenbully snowplough began to slide sideways down a hill.

This prompted Renner to exit the vehicle without setting the emergency handbrake, the report determined.

It continued: “Once he was off the Pistenbully, he realised it was heading directly toward [his nephew]. He feared the Pistenbully was going to hit [his nephew], so he decided to attempt to stop or divert the Pistenbully.”

While attempting to re-enter the snowplough, Renner had to climb on a moving track, which “immediately pulled him under” the left side of the vehicle.

“The Pistenbully rolled over him and continued down the road,” the report added. “He laid on the ground and focused on his breathing while (his nephew and others) rendered aid to him until medical personnel arrived on scene.”

Renner was “completely crushed” under the large vehicle and had “extreme difficulty breathing,” with the right side of his chest collapsed and his upper torso crushed.

Eventually, he was airlifted to the hospital, where he stayed for more than two weeks, undergoing at least two major surgeries.

The actor provided regular updates about his condition on Instagram, sharing images and videos of himself in his hospital bed. Last week, he confirmed that he had returned home.

While it’s been reported that it could take Renner “years” to recover from his injuries, his sister Kym has remained optimistic.

“If anyone knows Jeremy, he is a fighter and doesn’t mess around,” she told People. “He is crushing all the progress goals. We couldn’t feel more positive about the road ahead.”

The post Jeremy Renner was “trying to save nephew” when he was crushed by his snowplough appeared first on NME.