Jeremy Renner wrote a farewell letter to his family after the snow plow accident
“If I had been there alone, that would have been a terrible way to die. And I certainly would have. Certainly. But I wasn’t alone.”
As Jeremy Renner returns to public life after recovering from his widely publicized snow plow accident earlier this year, the “Hawkeye” star opens up about his experience with Diane Sawyer this week.
Now in a new one forward clip Appearing the day before the interview premiered, Renner discussed his experience in the hospital and revealed that he wrote a farewell letter to his family while in critical condition.
Renner’s accident happened on New Year’s Day at his property near Reno, Nevada. Renner was struck by the Sno-Cat — a 14,330-pound snow plow — while trying to rescue his nephew, who was stuck in the snow. Renner was taken to the hospital with blunt force trauma to the chest and more than 30 broken bones.
“If I were there alone, it (would) be terrible to die. And I certainly would have. For sure. But I wasn’t alone. He was my nephew. Sweet Alex. And the rest of the cavalry came,” Renner says in the clip. “I’m writing notes on my phone saying – last words to my family,” she adds tearfully.
Following his injuries, Renner shared updates on his recovery via social media, including an Instagram post thanking fans for their well-wishes and a light-hearted video of his sister and mother treating him to a “bath day” at ICE.
However, speaking about his time in the hospital in the interview, Renner admitted that he experienced stress about how the injuries would affect him: “What is my body going to look like? Am I just going to be a spine and a brain like a science experiment? Speaking about his recovery, the actor said, “I chose to survive. It won’t kill me, no. I lost a lot of flesh and bone during that experience, but I refueled and filled it with love and titanium.”
The special edition also includes a recording of the 911 call made on Renner’s behalf after the accident; in the clip, a caller can be heard saying, “Someone got run over by a Sno-Cat. Hurry. Broken. Send an ambulance, an ambulance. You might want to get out of here immediately. He’s in rough shape.”
“Jeremy Renner: The Diane Sawyer Interview – A Story of Terror, Survival and Triumph” airs April 6 on ABC at 10:00 PM ET. Renner will make her first public appearance next week at the Los Angeles premiere of her Disney+ series “Rennervations.”
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