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'I chose to survive': Jeremy Renner gets emotional while talking about surviving near-death snowplow accident

Jeremy Renner talked about his split-second choice to divert the snowplow from hitting his nephew Alexander Fries

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Jeremy Renner, the 'Hawkeye' actor, speaks up for the first time about his life-threatening accident involving a snowplow. The actor, in an interview with Diane Sawyer, discussed the harrowing details of the accident, his decision to survive, and his split-second choice to divert the snowplow from hitting his nephew.

The interview, called 'Jeremy Renner: The Diane Sawyer Interview – A Story of Terror, Survival, and Triumph', is an hour-long special that will feature several members of Renner's family, including his nephew Alexander Fries, whom he saved from the plow.

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'You’re not going to kill me'

“I chose to survive,” said Renner, 52. “You’re not going to kill me. No way,” he says in the interview as shown in the trailer. Renner, 52, was critically injured in the accident and had "30 plus broken bones" that kept him in the hospital for weeks.

The accident occurred on New Year's Day after the actor finished clearing snow outside his Nevada residence, and the Kassbohrer-brand PistenBully snowplow began to slide forward after Renner failed to properly apply the emergency brake. The Washoe County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that Renner then attempted to divert the snowplow, but it ran over his leg, resulting in "extensive injuries."

'It was going right at my nephew'

In the emotional two-minute trailer from the interview, Renner's nephew recalled seeing the actor in a pool of blood and running up to him, while thinking he was not alive. However, Renner survived the accident and is grateful for his decision to survive, stating “I’d do it again. Because it was going right at my nephew.” Renner's family members also share their thoughts on the terrifying accident and how the actor's quick thinking saved his nephew's life.

The trailer also gives a glimpse into a 911 call, "Someone been run over by a snowcat, hurry," and how the someone said, "there's a lot of blood here...He is in rough shape" and asked Renner to "Keep breathing man, keep fighting." Moreso at one point, Renner gets emotional when Swayer recalls the long list of injuries faced and that he had to use sign language to talk to his family. 

After the accident, Renner has shared several updates on his road to recovery, including a recent post on Twitter showing him on an anti-gravity treadmill. The 'Mayor of Kingstown' star acknowledges that he now has to find other things to occupy his time so his body can recover from his will.

The interview with Diane Sawyer will air on April 6 at 10 pm EST and will be available to stream the following day. Renner's willingness to share his story of the accident, and his determination to survive, serve as a poignant reminder for people to remain vigilant and make prompt decisions when faced with life-threatening circumstances.