GameSpot may receive revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and from purchases through links.

Jeremy Renner Considered End-Of-Life Decisions After Gruesome Snowplow Accident

"If my existence is going to be on drugs and painkillers, let me go now."

Comments

Actor Jeremy Renner sat down with reporter Diane Sawyer for his first wide-ranging interview since his New Year's Day snowplow accident that left him with 30 broken bones and injuries so severe that he wrote down his "last words" to his family should he have passed away. The full interview has now aired, and in it, Renner said he considered end-of-life decisions due to his serious injuries.

"Don't let me live on tubes on a machine," Renner said about what he said to his family, as relayed by The Hollywood Reporter. "If my existence is going to be on drugs and painkillers, let me go now."

After the accident, one of the first responders was Renner's neighbor, Barb Fletcher, who said they believed Renner might have passed just after the incident.

"At one point, he just got a clammy feel to him and he turned this gray-green color. And I feel in my heart like I lost him for a second. He closed his eyes. I really do feel like he passed away for a few seconds," Fletcher said.

Fletcher's partner, Richard Kovatch, was on the scene as well and was shocked at the amount of blood coming out of Renner and "the sounds that were coming out of him."

Renner's injuries were extensive and required multiple surgeries. His rib cage has been rebuilt with metal, and he has metal plates in his face to keep his damaged eye socket intact. Renner said his jaw is being held together with rubber bands and screws. "I'm learning to speak again," he said.

Renner also discussed what happened on that fateful day, saying he used his Snowcat to help get snow off his property in Tahoe where his family was coming to stay for the holiday. Renner's nephew, Alex Fries, was helping Renner move snow with the heavy machine. At one point, Renner got out of the vehicle, forgetting to put the brake on, and that's when the trouble started.

"I should be inside the vehicle when you're operating. It's kind of like driving a car with your foot outside the car, you know what I mean? But yeah, it was what it was. It's my mistake. And I paid for it."

Renner received an outpouring of support after the accident, from fans, and from other movie stars like Chris Evans and Chris Pratt. Renner's TV series, Mayor of Kingstown, returned on January 15, and the key art toned down his character's facial scars in the wake of Renner's real-life accident.

Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com

Join the conversation
There are no comments about this story