Adelaide great Tony Modra has avoided serious brain injury after a life-threatening truck accident, fellow club icon Mark Ricciuto says.

Modra has been released from intensive care after having surgery on his jaw, cheekbone and eye socket.

The Adelaide and Fremantle great suffered facial injuries when a fallen tree branch smashed through the windscreen of the truck he was driving last Thursday.

The accident happened near Modra’s sheep and cattle farm about 90 kilometres south of Adelaide.

The 57-year-old was flown to Flinders Medical Centre and had facial surgery on Friday. He awoke on Saturday afternoon.

Former Crows captain and good friend Ricciuto said the beloved football figure would require more surgery, but had had a “positive weekend” after being in critical condition.

“He remembered everything that happened, if you can believe that,” Ricciuto told Triple M radio.

“So no concussion, no brain injury, which is a huge positive.

“So great news, he’s got no brain issues, a little bit tough emotionally to get through reliving what happened.

“Yesterday, he actually came out of intensive care, which is great, but he’s got to go back in and have more surgery today.

“It’s a miracle not only that he’s alive, but that he’s at the point where he is right now.

“It’s been a positive weekend, it’s definitely fair to say.”

Hailed by Crows coach Matthew Nicks as “one of the best footballers to play the game”, Modra – who wore the No.6 guernsey – kicked 588 goals in 165 games for the Crows and Dockers between 1992 and 2001.

The Crows faithful paid tribute to the 57-year-old during the Adelaide Oval clash against Melbourne on Saturday, with a round of applause at the six-minute mark.

Adelaide held off the Demons to claim a 17-point victory and move to fifth (9-5) on the ladder ahead of this week’s Showdown clash with Port Adelaide.

Crows assistant Murray Davis said the club was in constant contact with the Modra family.

“We’re certainly getting a good feed of how all that’s playing out,” Davis said on Monday.

“It was just great to see the Adelaide people get behind a legend of this football club.

“It was a pretty special moment on that six-minute mark. We weren’t quite aware of it in the coach’s box, and we sort of thought, what’s all that about?”

Davis praised the resilience of the club’s playing group, who have weathered emotional weeks following the death of captain Jordan Dawson’s older brother Jaryd in April.

“You lean on your loved ones and people around you, and it teaches you what’s important and perspective and gives people resilience,” Davis said.

“We’ve seen this club be able to really connect on that front and do that well.”

-AAP