Jeremy Renner celebrates his 'rebirthday' 2 years after snowplow accident
Jeremy Renner is feeling grateful two years after his near-death experience.
The "Avengers" star, 53, in an Instagram post Wednesday said he is "ringing in my second 'ReBirthday' today" and reflected on being seriously injured in a snowplow accident on New Year's Day 2023.
Renner posted a photo showing himself in the hospital surrounded by medical staff.
"I send out my love, respect, and gratitude for the army of people that it took to put me back together again. Thank you to each and every nurse, doctor, first responder … I literally owe you my life."
Renner was hospitalized in January 2023 after he was crushed under a 14,000-pound snowplow. The actor was run over while he was trying to help his nephew with a car issue. He suffered more than 30 broken bones and a collapsed lung, and in an interview with ABC News' Diane Sawyer in 2023, he recalled that he could "see my eye with my other eye."
In his Instagram post, Renner thanked his "beautiful, brave nephew and the angels (my neighbors) who jumped to my aid and endured the chaos for 45 long minutes on the icy asphalt New Years morning," adding that he is "so sorry (for) all the haunting images I imprinted on you all (I'll spare you all from the meat grinding images)."
He continued that his "gratitude list is very long" after he received a flood of well-wishes from people around the world, and he wrote that thanks to "my family never leaving my side, with some divine intervention, a bit of luck and a whole lot of miracles … I stand strong again."
The Hawkeye actor also said he is now "more open," "more loved," "more connected," and "blessed to take my next step."
Renner's recovery included "countless hours of physical therapy, peptide injections, iv drips and pushes, stem cell and exosomes, red light / IR therapy, hyperbaric chamber 2.0 atmospheres, cold plunge, and the list goes on and on," he detailed in a November 2023 Instagram post.
Among those who supported Renner during this process were his "Avengers" co-stars. Last year, he told People magazine that "Iron Man" actor Robert Downey Jr. checked in on him while he was in the ICU. "We ended up having really great chats on FaceTime, like we were dating or something," Renner said.
By January 2024, Renner returned to acting on his Paramount+ series "Mayor of Kingstown."
"When I'm walking, I'm focusing on each joint, each step," he told Paste BN. "It takes brainpower just to do the basic things we don't typically think about."
Contributing: KiMi Robinson and Edward Segarra