“That's when my life support really kicked in” — Jeremy Renner shares how daughter Ava impacted his recovery from snowplow accident

Actor Jeremy Renner opened up about his snowplow accident, which occurred in January 2023. On Thursday, May 30, he appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show and talked about being run over by a snowplow.

He continued by discussing the role his 11-year-old daughter, Ava Berlin Renner, played in his recovery. Renner claimed that "that's when it all kicked in for me," the moment he learned that his daughter had come to see him when he was admitted to the hospital.

"That's when my life support really kicked in, because my daughter is my life force. It's everything. I saw the fear in my daughter's face for the first time. That's when I was looking in a mirror, like, 'Ah, I must look pretty terrible.' I was a hot mess," he added.

This refers to the accident that the Hawkeye star experienced. On New Year's Day in 2023, while assisting a family member in freeing a trapped car from the anticipated 3 feet of snowfall, he was struck by a 14,300-lb. snowplow.

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Jeremy Renner opened up about his snowplow accident

Jeremy Renner talked about his severe accident (Image via Getty)

Jeremy Renner, the Avengers star, was involved in a severe accident on January 1, 2023, while assisting a family member in freeing a stalled vehicle from the snow and was struck by a snowplow.

The incident occurred near Mt. Rose Highway, close to Reno, Nevada, at around 9:00 a.m., as per the Washoe County Sheriff's Office. The actor was rushed to the hospital and described as critical but stable. Fortunately, he underwent surgery the following day.

During an appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show on Thursday, May 30, Jeremy Renner openly discussed the horrific event. He said:

"To me, it felt like maybe I just got the wind knocked out of me, but I did break 38 bones, my eye came out of my head, [I] crushed my skull. It was pretty terrible. [I] got through it, so that's really all that matters at the end of the day."

Renner then revealed the challenges he faced, including keeping the accident a secret from his 11-year-old daughter, Ava Berlin Renner, whom he shares with his ex-partner, Sonni Pacheco. He expressed:

"The initial 14 days, it was a lot of life support. I wasn't kind of supposed to make it. She was hidden from all of that. I even forgot about my daughter. That's how messed up I was after the accident."

He continued that for the first time, he noticed Ava's fear on her face, and that's when his life support system truly kicked in.

Renner further added:

"The reality of what transpired really set in, what I'd done to my daughter, what I actually did to my nephew, my whole family, that really set in. I asked her to wait for me. I said, 'These are just 38 broken bones, darling, and they're all going to heal. I promise, if you wait for me, I will be better, I will be faster, I will be stronger than you've ever seen before. I promise. You have to wait for me.'"

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This isn’t the first time the Avengers star credited his daughter for his recovery. In a message on Instagram on January 1, 2024, the actor showed his love for Ava, referring to her as "reason number one" for his recovery following the almost fatal accident.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Renner had just finished working on Mayor of Kingstown season 3, which will premiere on Paramount+ on June 2, 2024.