Chris Thompson is in Westmead Hospital after sustaining severe injuries following a car accident near Geurie yesterday. .

Chris Thompson was critically injured after the vehicle he was driving ran off the road and into a tree just outside Geurie.

Emergency services were called to the Mitchell Highway site about 2.15am.

Sergeant Rod Buhr from Orana Local Area Command said when crews arrived they found the driver trapped in the white Toyota Hilux tabletop.

It took an hour-and-a-half for emergency services to free him from the vehicle.

He was taken to Dubbo Hospital then airlifted to Westmead Hospital in Sydney.

A motorist who was nearby at the time is expected to be interviewed within the next couple of days to possibly shed some light on the cause of the crash, Sergeant Buhr said.

Diversions were put in place for several hours as crews cleared the scene.

Mr Thompson, a husband and father-of-three, is originally from Wellington but lives at Dubbo.

Family members drove to Sydney yesterday to be by his side.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for his family thanked members of the public for all of the support they had received from well-wishers since news of the crash broke.

Mr Thompson is an accomplished rugby league player who plays for the Wellington Cowboys.

A former Group 11 representative, Mr Thompson’s 

achievements include lining up in the Tier 2 Country Championship-winning side in 2012.

He was also part of the Macquarie side that won the 2008 Group 11 premiership and the CYMS side that won it in 2011. 

In 2013, Mr Thompson was named Best and Fairest for Group 11 as awarded by referees.