Jeremy Renner has said he signed the words “I’m sorry” to his family after he was crushed in a snowplough accident.
The 52-year-old Hollywood actor, who has played the bow and arrow-wielding Hawkeye superhero in various Marvel Cinematic Universe films, including Avengers: Endgame, revealed previously that he broke more than 30 bones in the incident.
He was trying to help a family member when he was accidentally run over by his own six-tonne ploughing machine before being airlifted to hospital with serious injuries on January 1.
.@ABC EXCLUSIVE: @JeremyRenner says he refuses to be "haunted" by memory of snowplow accident.
Watch "Jeremy Renner: The @DianeSawyer Interview — A Story of Terror, Survival and Triumph" on TONIGHT at 10 p.m. ET on ABC and the next day on @Hulu. https://t.co/o0fiqPx6r3 pic.twitter.com/OWdF7ZuOpC
— Good Morning America (@GMA) April 6, 2023
In an interview to be broadcast on Thursday on ABC called Jeremy Renner: The Diane Sawyer Interview – A Story Of Terror, Survival And Triumph, the actor recalls the aftermath of the accident
A clip released before the airing shows Renner, who is seen moving around his home with the aid of a walker, being asked by US broadcast journalist Sawyer about using sign language to apologise to his family.
Tearfully, he replied: “I signed (to my family) because I am sorry.”
Renner also recalls the pain when he was at the scene, saying: “I said, ‘Oh, that (leg), that one’s really messed up… that leg’s (going to) be a problem.
“(I’m thinking) ‘What’s my body (going to) look like? Am I just gonna be like a spine in a brain like a science experiment?
“Is that my existence now? What’s my existence (going to) be like?’”
Renner was helping his nephew Alexander Fries free his car from the snow when the plough began to roll down the hill, according to a police report.
The document also said he was “pulled under” and “run over” while trying to stop the PistenBully vehicle rolling towards Mr Fries.
I did one interview about last New Year’s Day incident with @DianeSawyer Tune in this week of you want to know the whole story. Bless you all 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/UpeofhqKxZ
— Jeremy Renner (@JeremyRenner) April 4, 2023
Since the incident Renner has kept his followers updated on his recovery, which has included using an anti-gravity treadmill and strengthening exercises.
The Oscar-nominated actor, also known for The Hurt Locker, said in the clip that he refuses to be “f****** haunted by that memory that way” and wants to “shift the narrative” away from making a “mistake”.
He added: “This is what I talk to my family about from all their perspectives, which are horrifying, that I put upon them. What we just endured.
“That’s real love. It’s suffering but that feeds the seeds of what love is.”
In the interview clip, Mr Fries was also shown discussing being at the scene, as a man who lives in a nearby house recalled the 911 call he made describing the serious injuries of Renner.
The phone call was also played in which Renner is heard moaning in the background.
Recalling the moment, the actor’s nephew said he “stood over him in this crouched position holding his arm for the entire time” and telling Renner to breathe.