Hollywood star Jeremy Renner reveals he “died” during his catastrophic snowplow accident, experiencing supernatural peace as his heart rate dropped to just 18 beats per minute.

At a Glance

• Jeremy Renner’s memoir “My Final Breath” details his near-fatal accident with a 14,000-pound snowplow in January 2023
• The actor suffered over 30 broken bones, a collapsed lung, and his left eye was “squeezed out of its orbital socket”
• Renner claims he “died” during the incident as his heart rate bottomed out at 18 beats per minute
• His 9-year-old daughter Ava became his primary motivation for recovery during the year-long healing process
• The actor now emphasizes focusing on life’s important aspects and taking challenges one step at a time

The Catastrophic Accident

On New Year’s Day 2023, actor Jeremy Renner’s life changed forever when a 14,000-pound snowcat crushed him at his Lake Tahoe home. The “Avengers” star was attempting to stop the machine from sliding toward his nephew when the accident occurred. In his newly released memoir “My Final Breath,” Renner reveals the horrifying details of being trapped beneath the massive vehicle with over 30 broken bones, a collapsed lung, and severe facial trauma. The accident happened after Renner failed to set the parking brake on the snowplow, a mistake he identifies as the critical error that altered his life’s trajectory.

Renner describes the 45 minutes waiting for medical help as an eternity of excruciating pain. Despite his catastrophic injuries, the actor maintained remarkable presence of mind. “Though my body is completely smashed, my eye hanging out, every breath an agonizing push-up from the depths of drowning, still my mind manages to delve into a kind of instinctual problem-solving,” writes Renner. His survival instinct kicked in as he focused solely on breathing through the trauma, knowing that each breath was essential to staying alive.

A Brush with Death

Perhaps the most startling revelation in Renner’s memoir is his claim that he temporarily died during the ordeal. “As I lay on the ice, my heart rate slowed, and right there, on that New Year’s Day, unknown to my daughter, my sisters, my friends, my father, my mother, I just got tired,” Renner writes. His heart rate plummeted to 18 beats per minute, which he describes as “basically dead.” Rather than experiencing terror, however, Renner describes an “exhilarating peace” and “beautiful and fantastic energy” during these moments between life and death.

Following the accident, Renner was airlifted to a hospital where he underwent multiple surgeries for blunt chest trauma and orthopedic injuries. The road to recovery would be long and arduous, consuming most of 2023 as he worked to regain basic functions and return to some semblance of normalcy. Some injuries proved permanent, including a jaw broken in three places and misaligned teeth that serve as daily reminders of his brush with mortality.

Finding Purpose in Pain

Initially reluctant to document his ordeal, Renner eventually recognized the broader impact his story could have. “I didn’t want to write it. I just don’t think it was valuable in my life because I lived it. It was a private incident that happened in my driveway. Why does anybody care about it?” he confesses. However, the outpouring of support from fans and the potential to inspire others facing adversity changed his perspective. The memoir interweaves flashbacks to family events with the accident’s narrative, creating a deeply personal account of trauma and resilience.

“I wasn’t going to breathe, it didn’t matter my eyeballs were out of my head and my legs were all twisted up like a pretzel. I’ll worry about that later. You gotta breathe first.”, said Jeremy Renner.

Throughout his grueling recovery, Renner’s 9-year-old daughter Ava provided the primary motivation to persevere. The actor’s perspective on life has fundamentally changed following his near-death experience. He now advocates for a simpler approach to life’s challenges: “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?” The memoir stands as a testament to human resilience and the power of maintaining hope in the darkest circumstances.