'Avengers' Actor Jeremy Renner 'Died In Driveway,' Haunting New Details Revealed

By Kelly Coffey-Behrens on April 29, 2025 at 4:30 PM EDT

Jeremy Renner at Marvel Studios Avengers: Endgame World Premiere
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Two years after surviving a freak snowplow accident that nearly took his life, Jeremy Renner is revealing jaw-dropping new details, including the chilling moment he says he actually "died."

In his new book "My Final Breath," Jeremy Renner opened up about the horror he faced on New Year’s Day 2023 after being run over by his 14,000-pound PistenBully Snowcat at his Lake Tahoe home.

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Jeremy Renner Opens Up About the Moment He 'Died' After Snowplow Accident

Jeremy Renner running
Brooks Running/Aisha McAdams / MEGA

“As I lay on the ice, my heart rate slowed, and right there, on that New Year’s Day, unknown to my daughter, my sisters, my friends, my father, my mother, I just got tired,” he wrote, per Us Weekly. “After about 30 minutes on the ice, of breathing manually for so long, an effort akin to doing 10 or 20 push-ups per minute for half an hour … that’s when I died.”

"I died, right there on the driveway to my house," he continued. "I know I died. In fact, I’m sure of it."

Renner shared that EMTs later confirmed his heart rate had “bottomed out at 18.” He wrote, "This was basically dead," describing feeling “an exhilarating peace” during the ordeal.

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"When I died, what I felt was energy, a constantly connected, beautiful and fantastic energy," he added. "There was no time, place, or space, and nothing to see, except a kind of electric, two-way vision made from strands of that inconceivable energy. I could see my lifetime. I could see everything all at once."

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Renner Describes Hearing His Bones Shatter During Near-Fatal Snowplow Accident

Jeremy Renner outside
Courtesy of Brooks Running/Aisha McAdam/MEGA

The "Avengers" star didn't sugarcoat the brutal aftermath of the accident either. In "My Final Breath," Renner graphically detailed how he was "completely crushed," listing injuries like shattered ribs, broken legs, a collapsed lung, and crushed eye sockets.

"Six f-cking wheels, seventy-six steel blades, 14,000 pounds of machine, all ranged against one human body," he wrote, per Page Six. "I hear all the bones crack … Skull, jaw, cheekbones, molars: fibula, tibia, lungs, eye sockets, cranium, pelvis, ulna, legs, arms, skin, crack, snap, crack, squeeze."

Chillingly, he recalled, "I could see my left eye with my right eye."

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Jeremy Renner Shares Powerful Life Advice After Fighting His Way Back To Health

Jeremy Renner at Jimmy Kimmel Live!
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Bodycam footage later captured the chaos as first responders raced to save him while temperatures hovered around freezing, worsening his critical injuries.

After being airlifted to a nearby hospital, Renner underwent multiple surgeries for blunt chest trauma and orthopedic damage. He spent most of 2023 fiercely fighting his way back to health.

Renner reflected on his terrifying journey earlier this year during an appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," calling it "a great reminder of what we all should be looking at in life."

"If we get too stressed or if things get too difficult or if it's insurmountable odds or whatever it might be. Just put one foot down and then put another foot down and then move towards it, right?" he shared.

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Renner Marks Second 'ReBirthday' With Emotional Tribute To His Heroes

Jeremy Renner on set of Hawkeye
RCF / MEGA

On January 1, 2025, exactly two years to the day after his accident, Renner took to Instagram to mark his emotional second “ReBirthday.”

"Happy New Year blessings to you all…. Ringing in my second 'ReBirthday' today," he wrote. "I send out my love, respect, and gratitude for the army of people that it took to put me back together again."

He didn’t hold back in thanking “each and every nurse, doctor, first responder,” adding, "I literally owe[s] you my life."

He also gave a heartfelt shoutout to his nephew, Alex Fries, and the heroic neighbors who raced to his side that morning. “I’m so sorry all the haunting images I imprinted on you all (I’ll spare you all from the meat grinding images," he said.

Jeremy Renner’s Heartfelt Message To Fans

Jeremy Renner at World Premiere Of Marvel Studios' 'Avengers: Endgame'
Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency / MEGA

Renner’s gratitude was endless.

"With the amount of love and prayers that flooded in from you all around the world (needing each and every one of them), my family never leaving my side, with some divine intervention, a bit of luck and a whole lot of miracles … I stand strong again. More Open. More Loved. More Connected."

He ended his message on a powerful note: "And f-cking BLESSED to take my next step, to take MY NEXT BREATH. Thank you with every fiber and cell in my body. I love you ALL [red heart emoji] #MyNextBreath."

"My Next Breath" is out now.

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