Marvel star Jeremy Renner has shared an update on his recovery following his nearly fatal snowplow accident.
Renner, known for his role as Hawkeye in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, was critically injured in January 2023 in an accident involving a 7-ton snowplow near his home in the Sierra Nevada mountains. The incident occurred when he was helping his nephew retrieve a stranded vehicle during a snowstorm on New Year’s Day. The 14,000-pound plow rolled over him, causing severe injuries.
Renner was airlifted to the hospital in a “critical but stable condition,” suffering from over 30 broken bones, including eight ribs, multiple fractures in both legs, a shattered right shoulder, and injuries to his eye socket and mandible. He underwent multiple surgeries to address these injuries. His doctor noted that the machine came “within millimeters of hitting a vital organ or major nerve,” making his survival even more remarkable.
Since the accident, Renner has been open about his recovery journey. He issued a statement earlier this year, saying, “I’m just so blessed that I have so many things to live for. I have a giant family, I have a 10-year-old daughter, I would’ve disappointed and really messed up a lot of people’s lives if I would’ve passed, and so there’s a lot for me to get better for. I’m also a pretty stubborn SOB and there was a lot for me to fight for, and recovery was just a one-way road in my mind.”
Renner has also shared that he is now able to walk again, showing footage of himself walking on an “anti-gravity” treadmill as part of his physical therapy.
In the time since the accident, Renner has accepted that his life will never be the same. He told PEOPLE in an interview promoting his new partnership with Brooks Running, “I had to accept it for the rest of my life. There’ll be nothing normal or as it was prior to the accident. By the way, I’m okay with that. It’s making my life better. I’m healthier because of it. Recovery will be until I’m out of this old hot mess of a body. It was a way for me to really accept that it is going to be forever.”
Renner revealed that his perspective on his recovery shifted after his physical therapist spoke to his mother. “My physical therapist said what I didn’t want him to say, which is like, ‘This is f***ing forever’. So I just manned up, chin up, let’s go. Here we go. That’s how we do it. We just change the perspective of it and let it be. At least I like wellness and taking care of yourself, for the most part. I think it’s a pretty good thing.”
After spending a year recuperating from his injuries, Renner has returned to acting and resumed work on the third season of “Mayor of Kingstown” in January 2024.
