Jeremy Renner Suffered Snowplow Accident While Trying to Save His Nephew

Jeremy Renner was reportedly trying to save his nephew at the time of his devastating snow plow accident on New Year’s Day. A new incident report from the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office indicates that Renner pushed his adult nephew out of the way of the plow when it ran over him instead. The 52-year-old actor will now face a long road to recovery.

Renner was using a huge plow machine to clear snow from his driveway and the surrounding roads on Jan. 1 when he was partially run over and crushed by it. The police report obtained by CNN on Wednesday now gives more details, identifying the machine as a PinstenBully snow groomer. Renner was reportedly trying to use the plow to get his nephew’s truck out of the snow when the plow began to slide out of control. At that point, Renner made the split second decision to “exit the vehicle without setting the emergency brake.”

The plow continued sliding once Renner had jumped clear, gaining momentum as it went downhill. The report says: “Once [Renner] was off the PistenBully, he realized it was heading directly toward [his nephew]. He feared the PistenBully was going to hit [his nephew], so he decided to attempt to stop or divert the PistenBully.”

Renner tried to get back into the cab of the PistenBully, but to do so he tried to step onto the machine’s moving track. He was caught up in those heavy moving parts and “pulled under the left side track.” After that, Renner’s nephew did his best to render first aid while other family members called 911.

The report notes that the brake indicator light on Renner’s machine was not working, so “mechanical issues may have been a factor in this accident.” However, the brake itself was working fine, so the report notes: “Although the PistenBully had some mechanical issues, it is believed based on our mechanical inspection that the parking brake would keep the PistenBully from moving forward” if Renner had succeeded in setting it.

Renner was airlifted to the nearest trauma center and treated for over 30 broken bones. He remained in the hospital for almost three weeks before returning home. He recently shared an update showing that he is in a hospital bed in his own house, receiving physical therapy and other treatments. The actor sounded hopeful about his recovery prospects.