Newly released bodycam video shows the dramatic aftermath of the January snowplow accident in Nevada that left actor Jeremy Renner with 30 broken bones, a pierced liver and a collapsed lung.
Bodycam footage from Washoe County Sheriffs Office deputies that was released after a public records request by NBC affiliate KRNV shows the large emergency response that saved Renner’s life on New Year’s Day.
Renner had been towing his nephew’s truck out of the snow on a private road near his house in Reno when the accident happened, the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office said in a report released in January.
Renner’s nephew, Alex Fries, can be seen on the bodycam footage speaking with police about how his uncle ran over to stop a snowplow that was sliding down a hill at Fries.
“It started coming at me, like full force,” Fries says. “That’s when he tried to jump back in there.
“He slipped because these tracks, there’s no way to stand on it. He tried to jump on it, and it took him under.”
The audio of a 911 call about the accident also outlined the severity of it.
“Are there any obvious injuries?” the dispatcher asks.
“Yeah, oh my God, yes,” the caller responds. “He says he’s got rib issues. His right side, his right chest and upper torso. His ribs look like they might be crushed. He’s got a head wound as well.”
Renner waited 20 minutes for emergency crews to reach him because they were dealing with difficult winter conditions in Lake Tahoe.
The “Hawkeye” star has expressed his gratitude for his nephew’s quick thinking and the actions of first responders.
“If I was there on my own, that would have been a horrible way to die … and surely it would have. Surely,” Renner said in an interview with ABC’s Diane Sawyer. “But I wasn’t alone. I was with my nephew. Sweet Alex. And the rest of the cavalry came.”
Renner spent weeks recovering at Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno and shared a video last month of him walking on a treadmill.
Last week, he made his first red carpet appearance since the accident for the premiere for his upcoming Disney+ docuseries “Rennervations,” and also returned to the hospital to visit with the staff.