Jeremy Renner might play Hawkeye in the Avengers movies—a guy with a bow and arrow in a team of gods and monsters, but in real life, his latest story proves he might just be the toughest of them all.
Earlier this year, Renner survived a horrifying accident and somehow, he lived to tell the tale. Sitting down with Joe Rogan, Renner laid out every raw, gut-wrenching detail of what happened, leaving the JRE host—and honestly, anyone listening—completely stunned.
Renner’s snowplow accident was nothing short of a real-life nightmare. On New Year’s Day 2023, while trying to prevent his PistenBully snowcat from sliding into his nephew, Renner was pulled under the machine and crushed.
While speaking to Rogan on the JRE podcast, Renner gave a short summary of what happened, he said, “This thing, the snow cat, to describe it in words, it’s pretty difficult but it’s like a tank. So its about like 16,000 pounds or so. It ran over my entire body.” And as horrible as that sounds, it is still an understatement to the injuries he suffered.
The injuries he sustained were staggering: 38 broken bones, including 14 rib fractures, a broken right shoulder blade, both ankles shattered, and a collapsed lung.
His face bore the brunt too, with a broken eye socket and jaw, and his left eye was so severely damaged that he could see it with his right eye.
Renner described the sensation as feeling every “crack, snap, and squeeze” as the machine rolled over him. Remarkably, despite the immense trauma, he remained conscious, focusing solely on breathing to stay alive.
His recovery involved multiple surgeries and months of intensive rehabilitation. Now, with parts of his body reinforced with metal, Renner refers to himself humorously as the “Tin Man,” embodying resilience and determination in the face of overwhelming adversity.
Rogan, much like anyone else who will give the podcast a listen, was left in shock, saying, “Your skull got run over? Oh my god. Shout out to medical science.”
Despite such a harrowing ordeal, Renner remains optimistic and is on the road to a full recovery.
Renner: a real-life Avenger
In December 2024, Jeremy Renner took the stage at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival and opened up about his incredible recovery journey after his near-fatal snow plow accident in January 2023.
When asked about any lasting limitations, Renner laughed it off saying, “I don’t think of it as limitations – even though I’m 25% titanium, so f**k Iron Man.”
Proud of how far he’s come, Renner shared, “It’ll be two years in January, and I’m very, very proud to overcome a great adversity in my life. The love and support from people all over the world is what pushed me to get better.”
He’s even turning the experience into a book, revealing, “There’s so many wonderful gifts that come from being tested to the limits of death… I did die, and I came back for a reason.”
On a personal note, Renner mentioned the song “Wait” from his Love and Titanium album, written for his daughter after the accident. Renner also teased his return to acting with Mayor of Kingstown and Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.
And a return to the bow and arrow for Avengers: Doomsday won’t hurt either! So, fingers crossed!
