The Washoe County Sheriff's Office has ruled Jeremy Renner's snow plow injuries as a "tragic accident." Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam said during a press conference that Renner had been run over by his snowcat while plowing the private road he lives on. According to Balaam, the heavy machinery used to clear snow began to roll away when Renner was not in the driver's seat. Renner was injured in his attempt to climb back into the vehicle. Local authorities believe the incident to be a "tragic accident."

Balaam elaborated that, at the time of the accident, weather conditions had left Mount Rose Highway "closed at that hour because of severe winter weather and snow which had not yet been removed from the highway." Balaam shared further details of the accident, confirming that the department was still "conducting interviews and processing items from the scene."

Based on the Sheriff's Office investigation, Renner attempted to remove his personal vehicle which had become stuck in the snow near his home and at the time was being driven by a family member. Renner retrieved his snowcat to successfully tow the vehicle from the snow. Per Balaam, when the actor exited the snowcat, the vehicle began to roll and, after an attempt to get back into the driver's seat, it was at this point he was run over by the snowcat.

"An eyewitness details 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 said. "At this point in the investigation, we do not believe that Mr. Renner was impaired at all, and we believe this is a tragic accident." The sheriff's office is currently in possession of the snowcat and is continuing to investigate for any indication of mechanical failure. "As I mentioned earlier, this investigation is ongoing. However, we do not suspect any foul play," Balaam added.

Balaam did not provide further information regarding Renner's sustained injuries, though it has been confirmed by his representatives that the actor "suffered blunt chest trauma and orthopedic injuries" and underwent surgery on Jan. 2. "He has returned from surgery and remains in the intensive care unit in critical but stable condition," his representatives stated. Renner had been airlifted to the hospital from the scene for his injuries.

While it was previously reported that a doctor had been on the scene during Renner's accident, Sheriff Balaam confirmed that this was not the case. Instead, Renner's neighbors aided him with "towels" until first responders arrived on the scene. Per Balaam, Renner was also using his snowcat to plow the three feet of snow for his neighbors who live on the same private road.

Source: Twitter