“It was a private incident that happened in my driveway” — Jeremy Renner on penning a memoir about his near-fatal snowplow accident

Actor Jeremy Renner revealed he did not initially wish to write a book about his near-fatal snowplow accident. While promoting his new memoir, My Next Breath, on CBS Mornings on Tuesday, the 54-year-old was asked to address the 'author's note', where Renner had shared he did not intend to relive the harrowing experience by writing about it.

Elaborating on the thoughts he had while writing the note, Renner explained that he didn't think the incident was "valuable." He stated:

"I had written most of the book at that point. But I really wanted to voice why I didn't want to write it, because I just didn't think it was valuable. I lived it. It was a private incident that happened in my driveway. Why does anybody care about it?"

Trigger warning: The following article contains graphic references to an accident. Reader discretion is advised.

On New Year's Day 2023, the actor was involved in an accident after being run over by a seven-ton snowplow at his home in Reno, Nevada. He was attempting to save his nephew when he was hit. The near-death collision left Renner with thirty-eight broken bones, lacerated liver, a collapsed lung, and severe chest trauma.

"I had to learn to get of my own way" — Jeremy Renner on writing about the accident

During his CBS Mornings appearance, Jeremy Renner explained that the act of writing the memoir was him learning to "get out of (his) own way." Noting that it was what he found the lesson "valuable" and worth sharing, he explained:

"What I want people to take away from the book (is) getting out of your own way is quite important to achieve and get anything you want in your life, and that's the lesson that I had to learn to get of my own way and share the story because I knew it was valuable."

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Jeremy Renner (@jeremyrenner)

Elsewhere in the interview, the Hawkeye actor admitted that "focusing on breathing" is what "saved" him as he waited for the emergency services to arrive. Despite his injuries, Jeremy Renner explained that if he hadn't breathed, he would have passed out and eventually died.

In his memoir published on Tuesday, the Hurt Locker star revealed he "died" when he was run over by the snowplow. Recalling the moment, he noted that he was lying in ice for almost forty-five minutes waiting for first responders, fearing hypothermia. He wrote that his nephew and neighbor saw him turn "a gray-green color."

"I know I died — in fact, I’m sure of it,"

Jeremy Renner wrote, adding:

"When the EMTs arrived, they noted that my heart had bottomed out at 18, and 18 beats per minute, you’re basically dead."

In the book, Renner also noted that the most gruesome injury was in his left eye, writing that the eyeball "burst out of (his) skull" due to a broken orbital bone.

The actor was eventually airlifted to a local hospital, where he underwent several surgeries. Six days later, he was transported to Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, where Jeremy Renner went through another round of surgeries. While the actor was discharged on January 13, recovery was an uphill battle.

"Everything was pinned, my body titanium-filled, contusions and staples and bones still shattered all over my body," the actor explained.

He described having a slew of rehab equipment installed in his home, including an anti-gravity treadmill and Normatec compression sleeves. Jeremy Renner underwent a year of physical therapy before returning to work. In the memoir, the Mayor of Kingstown star asserted that his "urge for normalcy" is what pushes him after any trial, including the accident.

During a May 2024 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Jeremy Renner said that, for him, the ordeal was a great reminder of "what we all should be looking at in life." He stated:

"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?"

While talking to People magazine about the book, Renner noted that the incident changed his outlook on life, and he "can't have a bad day" anymore.

My Next Breath is available to purchase online or in retail stores.