Jeremy Renner is lucky to be alive after nearly being crushed to death by a snow plow in January. The actor, 52, is now speaking out about the terrifying, life altering experience in a new sit-down interview with ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer — revealing that he considered end-of-life options as he suffered injuries that may have hindered his life as he knew it. “Don’t let me live on tubes on a machine,” Renner recalled of an emotional conversation with his family in the special that aired on Thursday, April 6. “If my existence is going to be on drugs and painkillers, let me go now,” he said to the 77-year-old journalist.
He also revealed he was “awake” the entire time as he was run over and felt “all of the pain” during the accident. “I was awake through every moment. It’s exactly what you would imagine it would feel like,” he said to Diane. “It is hard to imagine what that feels like, but when you look at the machine and you look at — I was on asphalt and ice. I wish I was on snow. It felt like someone took the wind out of you. Too many things are going on in the body to feel pain, it’s everything. It’s like if your soul could have pain.”
.@ABC EXCLUSIVE: @JeremyRenner says he refuses to be "haunted" by memory of snowplow accident.
Watch "Jeremy Renner: The @DianeSawyer Interview — A Story of Terror, Survival and Triumph" on TONIGHT at 10 p.m. ET on ABC and the next day on @Hulu. https://t.co/o0fiqPx6r3 pic.twitter.com/OWdF7ZuOpC
— Good Morning America (@GMA) April 6, 2023
The potentially fatal accident occurred in Reno, Nevada when Jeremy risked his own life to save his nephew. As a result of being run over, he broke over 30 bones in his body and also included a collapsed lung. “We can confirm that Jeremy has suffered blunt chest trauma and orthopedic injuries and has undergone surgery,” his family said in a statement on January 2.
The Hawkeye star was immediately rushed to ER, where he remained for weeks and shared seldom updates as fans prayed for his recovery that included surgery and physical therapy. He was discharged from hospice on January 16, 2023 and has continued his recovery at home.
In an update on January 21 during an at-home PT session, he confirmed he had “30 plus” broken bones as he offered a look at what his recovery was like. “Morning workouts, resolutions all changed this particular new years…Spawned from tragedy for my entire family, and quickly focused into uniting actionable love,” he posted alongside the photo.
His nephew was also included in the interview, sharing his emotional take on seeing his uncle after the accident. “I’d just perfectly see him in a pool of blood coming from his head. I ran up to him. I didn’t think he was alive,” he said to Diane.