On January 1, 2023, actor Jeremy Renner suffered life-threatening injuries in a snowplow accident near his home in the Reno, Nevada, area. Renner, widely known for playing Clint Barton/Hawkeye in Marvel films and starring in Mayor of Kingstown, was using a 14,000-pound PistenBully snowcat to help free a family vehicle from heavy snow when the accident occurred.
According to a Washoe County Sheriff’s Office report and Renner’s subsequent interviews, the actor and his nephew, Alexander “Alex” Fries, were working to tow a Ford Raptor that had become stuck after a major snowstorm. After the truck was freed, the snowcat began sliding on ice. Renner became concerned that the machine could strike his nephew and attempted to regain control of the vehicle. He lost his footing and was pulled beneath the snowcat’s track.
Renner suffered extensive trauma. He later reported having 38 broken bones, including fractures involving his ribs, pelvis, legs, ankles, clavicle and facial bones. He also suffered a collapsed lung, a liver injury, severe head and facial trauma and substantial blood loss. Early reports described more than 30 broken bones, while later accounts from Renner placed the total at 38.
The actor remained conscious during much of the ordeal and spent roughly 45 minutes waiting for emergency medical assistance in freezing conditions. His nephew and nearby residents helped provide care before first responders arrived. Renner was eventually airlifted to a hospital, where he underwent multiple surgeries and began a lengthy rehabilitation.
Renner has accepted responsibility for the circumstances that led to the accident. In his 2023 interview with Diane Sawyer, he described the incident as his mistake and explained that his immediate concern had been protecting his nephew. Fries was not seriously injured.
Recovery continued well beyond his hospitalization. Renner gradually progressed from using a wheelchair and walker to returning to professional work. In 2024, he resumed filming Mayor of Kingstown, marking an important step in his return to acting.
In 2025, Renner published his memoir, My Next Breath, offering a detailed account of the accident, hospitalization and rehabilitation. He has described breathing, family and his changing perspective on life as central themes in his recovery.
Jeremy Renner is alive and continues to work as an actor. His snowplow accident remains one of the most significant events of his life and has become the subject of extensive interviews, public discussions and his own first-person account.