Hollywood star Jeremy Renner has sent a shiver through his fanbase by posting a chilling photograph of the enormous snowplow that almost claimed his life three years ago. The actor marked the grim anniversary by sharing an image of the 14,300-pound machine that crushed him outside his Lake Tahoe home on New Year’s Day 2023.
A Desperate Attempt to Save a Life
The horrific accident occurred when Renner, realising his nephew Alexander Fries was in the vehicle's path, leapt from the driver's cab in a frantic bid to save him. Tragically, he lost his footing and was pulled beneath the colossal snowcat. In his memoir, My Next Breath, released in April, the Marvel actor recounts the terrifying moment the machine rolled over him.
He described hearing 'terrible crunching sounds' as 14,000 pounds of galvanised steel slowly ground over his body, a noise he labelled a 'horrifying soundtrack'. The incident left him with more than 38 broken bones, a collapsed lung, and a liver pierced by a shattered rib.
Defiance and a Glimpse Beyond
The striking Instagram image showed the towering plough surrounded by snow, accompanied by a caption that radiated defiance: 'Not today,' alongside a wink and kiss emoji. This post follows profound revelations from his memoir, where Renner recalls the 'electric serenity' he felt during the moments he was clinically dead.
He has stated this near-death experience left him unafraid of dying, filled instead with an overwhelming sense of peace. In a recent appearance on Kelly Ripa’s Let’s Talk Off Camera podcast, Renner candidly admitted his first reaction to being resuscitated was one of disappointment.
'It's a wonderful, wonderful relief to be removed from your body,' he said. 'It is the most exhilarating peace you could ever feel... And I didn't want to come back. I was brought back and I was so p***ed off.'
A Life Forever Changed
Renner revealed the accident was caused by a 'tiny but monumental' mistake: he failed to engage the parking brake or disengage the steel tracks before exiting the cab. His nephew was able to administer first aid until emergency services arrived, and Renner was subsequently airlifted to hospital. He spent over two weeks there undergoing multiple surgeries.
Despite the harrowing ordeal and long recovery, Renner has made a full return to work, recently completing filming for Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. He now describes the accident as a wake-up call that cleared life's noise, helping him identify what truly holds value.
'I gave so much value to things that have zero value,' he reflected. 'So I invest into no stocks or bonds... I invest into love and my shared relationships. 'Cause that is the only thing that you take with you.' The actor now sees himself as the captain of his own ship, living life uncompromisingly on his own terms following his brush with mortality.
