Jan. 3 (UPI) — Hawkeye and Mayor of Kingstown star Jeremy Renner posted a selfie from his hospital bed two days after suffering a horrific snow-plowing accident.
“Thank you all for your kind words. I’m too messed up now to type. But I send love to you all,” the 51-year-old actor captioned the photo, which showed him with a bruised face and oxygen tube up his nose.
The post got more than 2.5 million “likes” in about two hours.
Chris Evans replied to the message: “Tough as nails. Love you buddy.”
“Brother u r a superhero to all of us. U will get through this with flying colors. Love and positive energy to u!” Steve Aoki commented on the post.
Isla Fisher wrote: “Whew! I’m so happy you made this post. Sending you so much love and healing energy. We love you.”
“Speedy recovery,” said Heidi Klum.
“Sending all our love, get well soon!!” added Kelly Clarkson.
Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve said Renner, 51, was helping a stranded motorist when he was seriously injured by his own snow plow on New Year’s Day.
The Wind River and American Hustle actor was hospitalized in critical but stable condition in an intensive care unit Sunday morning after he suffered blunt chest trauma and orthopedic injuries in the incident near his home on Mt. Rose Highway, about 25 minutes from downtown Reno.
His representative said Monday that he had undergone surgery.
“We do not believe Mr. Renner was impaired at all and we believe this is a tragic accident,” Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam said at a press conference Tuesday.
Balaam said Renner used his Sno-Cat, also known as a PistenBully, to free a vehicle driven by a family member from the snow, but the 14,000-pound plow began rolling and he tried to jump into the driver’s seat to stop it.
“Based on the investigation, it’s at this point that Mr. Renner is run over by the PistonBully,” Balaam said.
“An eyewitness detailed seeing Mr. Renner getting into the PistonBully, and not seeing him again until the PistonBully came to a rest in a pile of snow in front of his driveway.”