People have donated thousands of dollars to help an Australian Olympics hopeful recover after he was crushed while saving his daughter from a car accident.

Chris Dodd, 25, ranks as the fourth-best male high jumper in the country and was training for Rio when he was pinned under his own car last month.

He and his wife, Kellie, were taking their daughters out of the family car when it started to roll backwards at their home near Sydney.

Chris Dodd is ranked as the fourth-best male high jumper in Australia and was training for the Olympics (Getty Images)

Mr Dodd leapt behind it to push four-year-old Ella out of the way as they were both run over, trapping him for 90 minutes.

She was discharged from hospital the next day with severe bruising but her father suffered spinal and pelvis fractures as well as bladder damage.

Starting a GoFundMe appeal for help with insurance costs, Mrs Dodd wrote that her husband was expected to be out of work, as a local PE teacher, until next year.

Supporters have raised more than 32,000 Australian dollars (£15,000) towards Mr Dodd’s treatment so far.

Chris Dodd was in hospital for almost a month after the accident (Kellie Dodd/GoFundMe)

The athlete has left hospital after surgery and is staying at his sisters’ home until his can be modified to accommodate the wheelchair and crutches he now needs to use.

Mrs Dodd said he would have follow-ups with specialists over the coming weeks and that although he will not make the Rio Olympics, he is determined to compete again.

“Thank you to everyone for all your support,” she added. “Everyone has been amazing to us.