Actor Jeremy Renner began 2023 with a snowplow accident that crushed his body on New Year’s Day, leaving him in critical condition with more than 30 broken bones.
The “Avengers” star, who plays Hawkeye in the Marvel superhero movies, spent the next months healing, undergoing intense physical therapy and learning to walk again.
On Jan. 15, 2024, he marked one year since being released from the intensive care unit with an Instagram post of him in the gym.
"I was reminded that love, good will, hard work and a legion of good humans are getting me through every day … thank you , bless you …. And as always, I hold my promise to be better, be stronger, and grow to surpass potential…. Bless you all," he wrote.
Earlier in the month, he shared a selfie from the set of his show "Mayor of Kingstown," his first time returning to acting since the accident, Variety reported.
Here is the timeline of his accident and recovery.
How did the Jeremy Renner accident happen?
On Jan. 1, 2023, Renner was using a snowplow to tow his nephew’s truck out of the snow at his Reno, Nevada, property on a private road, according to the incident report from Washoe County Sheriff’s Office obtained by NBC News.
The snowplow — a Pistenbully that weighs at least 7 tons and runs on a track — started sliding down a hill, so Renner got out but without putting the emergency brake on, the report says.
When he tried to step on the track, the actor was pulled under the Pistenbully and the track rolled over him, causing injuries to his torso, extremities, face and head, the sheriff’s office noted.
The actor said he had more than 30 broken bones and was hospitalized in critical condition. He suffered blunt chest trauma and orthopedic injuries, his spokesperson added.
In April 2023, Renner offered more details about what happened in an interview with Diane Sawyer. The actor said he was leaning out of the snowplow’s cab door to see where his nephew was, fell off, tried to climb back in and fell under the snowplow’s track.
“I just happened to be the dummy standing on the dang track a little bit, seeing if my nephew was there,” Renner told Sawyer. “You should be inside the vehicle when you’re operating [it,] you know what I mean? It’s kind of like driving a car with your foot outside the car ... And it’s my mistake, and I paid for it.”
The region had recently been hit with a snowstorm, so it took 40 minutes for emergency responders to get to Renner. Neighbors came out with towels and rendered aid until he was flown to a hospital, officials said.
Jeremy Renner’s recovery
The actor underwent surgery on Jan. 2, his spokesperson said, and spent time in the intensive care unit.
Renner’s rib cage had to be rebuilt with metal, and metal plates were used to rebuild his eye socket, according to the Diane Sawyer interview. The actor told her rubber bands and screws were added to his jaw, and a titanium rod and screws were placed in his leg.
Renner returned home from the hospital on Jan. 16, 2023, and shared regular updates of his recovery on social media.
In February 2023, he posted a video of himself riding a stationary bike.
In March 2023, he shared a video showing him walking on a treadmill, the first time fans saw Renner on his feet since the accident.
In April 2023, the actor walked with a cane when he appeared at the premiere for his Disney+ docuseries “Rennervations” in Los Angeles. Once inside the event, Renner used a knee scooter.
In May 2023, Renner showed his fitness routine and called his body “miraculous” — “even though I feel like the Tin Man, needing oil for all my new joints (hips, knees, ankles, tibia etc),” he added.
He’s since been sharing photos of himself looking healthy and upbeat, urging fans to find time to share time people they love.
Renner, 53, ended the traumatic year by sharing an update on his condition and thanking his fans.
“I have been exploring EVERY type of therapy” since January, he wrote on Instagram on Nov. 7, 2023.
“BUT my greatest therapy has been my mind and the will to be here and push to recover and be better…. Be exceptional… I feel it’s my duty to do so. Not to squander my life being spared, but to give back to my family, friends, and all of you whom have empowered me to endure. I thank you all.”
Jeremy Renner’s current health status
In his latest Instagram posted Jan. 15, 2024, Renner marked one year since being released from the ICU after his accident with a photo of him in the gym, thanking the "legion of good humans" helping him get through every day and continue to recover.
He previously shared that he was well enough to return to acting on Jan. 10, with a selfie from the set of the third season of his show, "Mayor of Kingstown."
"Day one on set … nervous today," h wrote at the time. "Hope this works out that I can ACTUALLY pull this off for our production and more importantly the fans."
To get to a place where he can act again, Renner previously shared he’d done “countless hours” of physical therapy in a Nov. 6, 2023, Instagram. He added that other interventions he’s tried as part of his recovery include peptide injections, red light therapy and hyperbaric chamber therapy.
Therapeutic peptides can act as hormones, growth factors, neurotransmitters or anti-infective agents, researchers say. Red light therapy is an emerging treatment that's been promoted for improving wound healing, though more studies are needed according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy involves entering a special chamber to breathe in pure oxygen in an effort to repair tissues, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
A few days later, he shared a video of himself exercising on Nov. 10, 2023, noting that it was his first attempt at "any activity" and that he "was brought to tears of joy, hopefulness, and gratitude."
Renner has said he plans to continue working as an actor as he gets stronger. “I’m not going anywhere,” he said at a fan event in Phoenix, Arizona, in June 2023.
“If Marvel wants me back in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe), rocking that out, I’d do it in a heartbeat. I love those guys.”
