Actor Jeremy Renner recalls horrific snow plow accident
In the abc news In an interview, Renner said that when he made a dangerous jump to get back in the driver’s seat, the fast-moving tracks pushed him forward – and the weight of the steel tracks crushed him. He recalled yelling “Not today” at that moment, using an expletive.
There was no snow to cushion any part of the blow, he said, just icy tarmac beneath him and the plow rolling on it. The machine crushed his toes, legs and chest. Even one of his eyes was badly injured and bulged out of its socket.
“I think I could see my eye with my other eye,” Renner said.
abc news noted that during the accident he appeared to have bypassed the wheels, the heaviest part of the plough.
Renner struggled to fully grasp the extent of the pain, saying that “it felt like someone had taken the wind out of your sails” and it seemed like his soul was in agony.
Loading
Renner said he would do the experience again because the plow “ran right on my 27-year-old nephew.”
The nephew, who was not injured, said in the abc news Interview that he saw “a pool of blood” coming out of his uncle’s head.
The nephew located a neighbor and asked for help. This neighbor called 911.
In a recording of that 911 call, Renner’s neighbor can be heard saying, “He was struck down.”
In the background of that call, Renner can be heard moaning as the man who contacted 911 says, “There’s a lot of blood over here,” and tells Renner, “Keep breathing man, keep fighting.” Hang in there bro.”
Eventually, gusty winds lasted long enough for a helicopter to land near the scene of the accident and fly Renner to a hospital.
There, Renner and his family learned the full extent of his injuries: dozens of broken bones, including eight ribs, his right knee and ankle, and his right shoulder; a collapsed lung; and his liver pierced by a rib bone.
His rib cage was remodeled with metal. His eye socket was reassembled with metal plates. And a titanium rod and screws were placed in his leg.
Doctors interviewed by abc news said that Renner’s good physical condition and health probably helped him survive. About 10 weeks after the accident, Renner begins to regain the strength to walk with a cane.
When asked in the interview if he saw the same face when looking in the mirror, Renner replied: “I see a lucky guy.”
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Get a note directly from our foreign country correspondents about what makes headlines around the world. Sign up for the weekly What in the World newsletter here.
