Jeremy Renner says breathing saved his life in snowplow accident, shares story in My Next Breath

Actor Jeremy Renner revealed that “just breathing” helped him survive the near-fatal snowplow accident that left him with over 30 broken bones in January 2023.

The Hawkeye and Mayor of Kingstown star shared emotional details during an appearance on CBS Mornings, coinciding with the release of his memoir My Next Breath.

Renner recounted how he was crushed by a 14,000-pound Snowcat while helping clear snow near his Nevada home. As he lay injured and unable to move for 45 minutes awaiting paramedics, he relied on mindfulness and breath control to stay alive.

“I wasn’t breathing, and there was no way my body was going to breathe because it was crushed,” Renner said. “So that part just saved me—just zooming out, focusing on just breathing.”

Renner described the pain as feeling like being “on fire, drowning, and struck by lightning” all at once. Despite the agony, he said that simply focusing on exhaling and inhaling helped him manage the pain and survive until help arrived.

He also credited his daughter, Ava, as the driving force behind his recovery. “She gets better if I get better,” he said, explaining that she became his motivation to heal.

Initially unsure if his story was worth telling, Renner said he hopes My Next Breath inspires others to push through adversity by getting out of their own way. “The only obstacle in your way is you,” he told host Nate Burleson.