Jeremy Renner at film set of the 'Hawkeye'

Jeremy Renner Opens Up About Snowplow Accident & Saving His Nephew

Home / Videos / Jeremy Renner Opens Up About Snowplow Accident & Saving His Nephew

By Afouda Bamidele on March 31, 2023 at 12:00 PM EDT

Jeremy Renner has no regrets about saving his nephew's life during the freak snow plow accident earlier this year. The actor recently reiterated his love for his family while opening up about the incident that resulted in him getting hospitalized for two weeks.

Renner had sustained multiple injuries after he was crushed under a heavy-duty snow removal vehicle for a short time. He has since undergone surgery and has resorted to physical therapy sessions in his home, often updating his fans on his progress through social media.

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Jeremy Renner Will Undoubtedly Save His Nephew's Life Again

Renner had shockingly shown up for his nephew in true "Avenger" fashion when he pushed the latter out of the way of an oncoming snow plow. The "Mayor of Kingstown" had been using the seven-ton plow to try to help his adult nephew — Alexander Fries — pull his car out of the snow after they spent New Year's together.

At some point, the 52-year-old jumped out and forgot to activate the plow's emergency brake, resulting in it going toward Fries. The "Neo Ned" star's attempt to get back into the still-moving vehicle to bring it to a halt resulted in him getting pulled beneath it.

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His heroic act almost cost him his life as he suffered blunt chest trauma and several orthopedic injuries, breaking over 30 bones during the incident, per The Blast. Despite that, Renner would make the same decision if the situation arose again.

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The "Mayor of Kingstown" star disclosed the shocking decision during his first public interview since the January incident. In a snippet shared via ABC News' YouTube platform, the Oscar nominee tells Diane Sawyer that he was awake throughout the horrifying occurrence and can still recall the pain. The "28 Weeks Later" star then firmly declared:

"I would do it again. It was coming right at my nephew. I would do it again."

The upcoming special, which includes chilling 911 calls as a trapped Renner groaned in the background, also saw his nephew recalling to Sawyer, "I 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."

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An emotional Renner joked that even though he has "lost a lot of flesh and bone," he has been "refueled and refilled with love — and titanium." Ultimately, the Modesto Junior College alum counted himself "lucky," emphasizing that he "chose to survive" with the thought "you're not going to kill me" constantly running in his mind.

"Jeremy Renner: The Diane Sawyer Interview – A Story of Terror, Survival and Triumph" will air on ABC on Thursday, April 6 at 10P.M (EST).

The 'Dahmer' Lead Teases BTS Image From His Upcoming Series

The Blast reported that the father-of-one promptly returned to his regular schedule of promoting his projects amid his recovery process. Earlier this month, the California native teased his millions of followers with a behind-the-scenes post from his upcoming Disney+ docuseries, "Rennervertions," along with the caption: 

"HAPPY FRIDAY from all of us #bts #camprennervations @disneyplus."

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Jeremy Renner's post on his Instagram page
Instagram | Jeremy Renner

In the pic, the dark-haired hunk is seen standing around a table with some of his team members in what resembles a warehouse. The group appeared to be discussing — and intensely studying — the renovation plans in front of them.

Amid fans' excitement and anticipation to see the show when it debuts on April 12, one Instagram user wrote in the comments, "You are such an amazing person who goes out of his way to give your time and energy to others, especially after going through something horrific yourself."

"I bet the renovation work on those vehicles was an amazing task," a second netizen said, while a third chimed, "Stay strong, @jeremyrenner; you really are a superhero and someone I really admire. I'm just so thankful to still have you with us."

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A fourth fan commented, "Cheers to this excellent star, and a fifth simply wanted to know if there was anything Renner could not do. 

In case you missed it, "Rennervations" would follow the actor and his team of expert builders across his hometown of Reno, Nevada, — among other cities — as they find and renovate decommissioned government vehicles.

The goal for the beloved "American Hustle" star is to re-imagine the buses as "mind-blowing creations" that serve kids in several communities.

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