Jeremy Renner's near-fatal snowplow accident has taught him 'not to squander life'

Jeremy Renner is grateful to be alive and doesn't want to waste another moment. The 52-year-old star from the "Avengers" movie franchise broke more than 30 bones in a snowplow accident in January. He was in "critical but stable condition" after a snow plow, said to weigh at least 14,330 lbs. ran him over while he was helping a family member get a "stuck" vehicle out of snow per PEOPLE.

According to a Washoe County Sheriff's Office report, the "Hawkeye" actor was towing his nephew's truck out of the snow on a private road near his house in Reno, Nevada and soon the plow started sliding down a hill. As soon as this happened, Renner got out without applying emergency brakes. In a frightening turn of events, the plow began to slide towards his nephew, who was in his truck. According to TODAY, Renner tried to step up on the track to divert the plow or to stop it. "Renner was pulled under the Pistenbully and the track rolled over him," the report stated, "Renner suffered injuries to his torso, extremities, face and head."

Neighbors rushed to help the "Wind River" star as he waited 40 minutes for first responders to reach the location due to weather conditions, Washoe County Darin Balaam said at a news conference. "What I can tell you was there was no doctor on the scene," Balaam shared, "It was some good neighbors that came out with some towels and rendered some aid." According to his publicist, the actor suffered blunt chest trauma and needed two operations and was discharged from the hospital on January 16, 2023, reports The Guardian.

In his first interview Jeremy Renner: The Diane Sawyer Interview - A Tale of Terror, Survival and Victory on television after being involved in a snowplow accident, he told Sawyer why he risked his life. "I was awake through every moment. I’d do it again because it was going right at my nephew," he said. During the interview with Sawyer, the injuries suffered by Renner were enumerated, such as eight ribs fractured in 14 different spots, a pierced liver caused by a rib bone, a collapsed lung and a broken jaw and eye socket. Renner disclosed that he often wondered how he would appear after his recovery. He said, "I’m thinking like, 'What’s my body look like? Am I just going to be like a spine and a brain like a science experiment?'"

Now the actor is not taking life for granted. In an emotional message on Instagram, Renner spoke about the various treatments that have been a part of his healing journey. “I have been exploring every type of therapy since January 14th, everyday," Renner wrote, “Countless hours of physical therapy, peptide injections, IV drips and pushes, stem cell and exosomes, red light/IR therapy, hyperbaric chamber 2.0 atmospheres, cold plunge and the list goes on and on.”

What Renner ended up learning was that the greatest therapy has been "his mind" and his "will to keep pushing through his recovery." He added that he feels it is "his duty" to be "exceptional" after his accident. “Not to squander my life being spared, but to give back to my family, friends and all of you who have empowered me to endure,” he added.