Jeremy Renner opens up about his near-fatal snow plow accident. He says that he wrote notes in his phone that would have served as “my last words to my family” while in the hospital following his Jan. 1 snowplow accident.
On Wednesday, Good Morning America teased a snippet of the Avengers: Endgame actor’s upcoming interview with Diane Sawyer, airing moments from the 911 calls sent after Renner, 52, was crushed by a snowplow. In the interview, to air in full on Thursday, the actor recalled thinking he would have died if his nephew Alex had not been there.
“If I was there, on my own, that would’ve been a horrible way to die,” Renner told Sawyer in the clip shared on GMA. “And surely, I would’ve. Surely. But I wasn’t alone — [I was with] my nephew. Sweet Alex. And the rest of the cavalry came.”
As Sawyer, 77, mentioned Renner’s goodbye note to his family while in critical condition in the hospital, the actor began to tear up. “I’m writing down notes in my phone — my last words to my family,” he said in the clip shared by GMA.
. @ABC EXCLUSIVE: First look at @DianeSawyer ’s interview with @JeremyRenner , as the actor opens up for the first time about his near-fatal snowplow accident. Watch Thursday, April 6, on ABC and the next day on @Hulu . https://t.co/3T71flHNnD pic.twitter.com/VDD6ceY5yA
— Good Morning America (@GMA) April 5, 2023
The new preview also features never-before-heard audio of the 911 call in which the caller requests aerial transportation because Renner, 52, appeared to be in “rough shape,” Page Six reported.
“Someone’s in front of my house on the ground and got run over by a Snowcat, he’s been crushed,” the caller says. “Send paramedics, ambulance … Listen to me. I need — you might wanna get Life Flight out here immediately,” the caller adds. “He’s in rough shape.”
The actor said he was “awake through every moment” in a preview of the Sawyer interview shared last week.
“I chose to survive,” he said in the clip. “It’s not gonna kill me. No way.” Renner also explained that he would “do it again” if it meant saving his loved ones: “I’ve lost a lot of flesh and bone in this experience, but I’ve been refueled and refilled with love and titanium.”
Renner, 52, has spent the last three months recovering from the accident, which occurred when he attempted to save his nephew from getting hit by a snowcat the actor had been operating near his Nevada home. A separate trailer for the interview included a description of Renner’s extensive injuries — a collapsed lung, eight ribs broken in 14 places, a broken eye socket, and a pierced liver, among others.
I now have to find OTHER things to occupy my time so my body can recover from my will. #minduful #intended #recovery pic.twitter.com/TuDFSMVJHY
— Jeremy Renner (@JeremyRenner) March 26, 2023
Late last month, the “Mayor of Kingstown” star posted a video to his verified social media which showed the physical therapy he has been doing on an anti-gravity treadmill as part of his recovery.
“I now have to find OTHER things to occupy my time so my body can recover from my will. #minduful #intended #recovery” Renner captioned the video.
In spite of the accident and his ensuing recovery, the Oscar-nominated actor is still active in promoting his upcoming projects, including his upcoming Disney+ series “Rennervations.” Jeremy Renner: The Diane Sawyer Interview — A Story of Terror, Survival and Triumph” will air at 10 pm ET on April 6, on ABC and stream the next day on Hulu.