In a deeply personal and moving conversation with Joe Rogan, actor Jeremy Renner revealed the harrowing details of his near-fatal snowplow accident that occurred on New Year’s Day 2023. The “Hawkeye” star suffered catastrophic injuries when a 16,000-pound snowcat ran over his entire body, leaving him with 38 broken bones and barely hanging on for his life.
Renner, now 54, was hosting his family at his Lake Tahoe home when a major snowstorm hit the area. After the weather cleared, he decided to use his snowcat – a massive tank-like snow removal vehicle – to clear his half-mile driveway at his 8,000-foot elevation home.
“It’s about 16,000 pounds or so. And it’s very nimble on the snow,” Renner explained about the snowcat. The accident occurred when Renner was getting on and off the tracks of the vehicle, which is the normal way to access the cab.
“The accident happened because you have to get in and out on those tracks,” Renner recounted. “I hit the thumb thing and it threw me off, and it was going towards my nephew. So I had to jump back on and try to stop it from killing him because it was going to crush him between the truck and that big blade that I have.”
In his attempt to save his nephew, Renner was pulled under the massive machine. “I leap leapt up and over to try to grab onto it and got sucked under the whole thing,” he said. “So the whole length of it just kind of ran over me.”
The actor described the horrifying experience of feeling the full weight of the snowcat crushing his body. “There’s like a set of wheels that turn these tracks…and there’s like six wheels, so it undulates. The first one was the worst, like the pressure and skull crush and all that stuff, and then it releases because of the undulation of the tire and the track.”
Most shocking was Renner’s revelation that he remained conscious throughout the ordeal. “By the sixth undulation, [I was] just like, ‘All right, just kind of finish already,'” he recalled. “It’s like you’re drowning and being struck by lightning and bleeding out, all the things all at once.”
The extent of Renner’s injuries was catastrophic. “It’s 38 broken bones and eyeballs out,” he said. His skull was crushed, and he saw his own eye with his other eye. “I’m like, ‘I’m going to put this eye on ice,'” he recalled thinking, since he was on an icy asphalt driveway.
Among his injuries were 14 broken ribs, a spiral fracture in his leg, broken ankles, broken knees, and a lacerated liver. “All my joints were broken. All my ankles, my knees,” Renner detailed. Despite the severity of his injuries, his spine and most of his vital organs were miraculously spared.
“My brain, I don’t think there’s any brain damage,” Renner said. “I’ll use an excuse later, I guess. And my spine, that’s the miracle. It’s like, how did I break 14 ribs and crack my skull and every arm and leg and finger and thing, but my spine was spared?”
Renner credits an innovative doctor who specializes in crushing injuries with saving his limbs. The mayor of Reno personally called the doctor, who was on vacation, to return and treat the actor. “This is what he does for a living,” Renner said. “He’s like, ‘Oh, this is easy. I can’t wait to do this for this guy.'”
The recovery process has been grueling. Renner now has titanium parts throughout his body, including plates in his face to repair his broken orbital socket and cheekbone. His jaw broke in three spots, and he still has difficulty chewing. “It’s full chaos in my mouth, but I don’t complain about it,” he said.
Despite the severity of his injuries, Renner has made a remarkable recovery. Just over a year later, he walks without a limp and has even begun running again, though he says, “It feels like I got four flat tires when I’m running.”
Throughout the recovery process, Renner maintained an unwavering positive attitude. “What’s the alternative?” he repeatedly asked during the interview. “I wasn’t brought back here just to suffer.”
Renner attributes his remarkable recovery to his will and the love he has for his family, particularly his daughter. “I think it’s will. Will is a really special thing, and the love and fuel to fuel your will – I had in spades,” he explained. “I could pretty much do anything if I set my mind to it.”
The actor has found profound meaning in his near-death experience, saying it transformed his perspective on life. “It just made it easier. It’s ripped away all the white noise. Things I gave credence to or things I gave value to are just meaningless.”
Now, Renner says he focuses only on what truly matters: “I only do things that are valuable in my life. That’s it. I do nothing else.”
