Jeremy Renner's road to recovery after snow plow accident - actor is among stars who overcame fatal injury

A lesser person would have given up, we believe, after the catalogue of near-fatal injuries Jeremy Renner shared after his snow plow accident in January 2023. But not everyone has the fortitude of Hawkeye from the Marvel Cinematic Universe - and it appears some of that grit and determination is something Renner, 57, looks to have brought to the character himself.

Taking to his Instagram account, Renner shared with his 20,536,231 followers a video of him upright and walking; that is, with the help of an anti-gravity treadmill. With the Instagram reel captioned “Now is the time for my body to rest and recover from my will,” the actor can be seen gently walking with the aid of the piece of equipment that currently ranges at £22,450.00 if you fancy the workout yourself.

The treadmill however isn’t a new invention; many sports teams in the United States have adopted its use during rehabilitation, especially when it comes to muscular and ligament damage to the knees and legs. Hopping on an anti-gravity treadmill during the recovery period can help patients walk farther with less stress on the lower body joints and muscles. This, over time, helps improve their neuromuscular control as well as keep Renner occupied rather than sitting around.

It’s a heartwarming post to social media, one that has become emboldened due to Disney+ announcing that Jeremy Renner’s new show, “Rennervations,” will finally be screened on the streaming platform from April. The series follows Renner as he travels the globe to decommission vehicles and refurbish them for new uses.

“I’ve been on this journey for many years, and I started in my community by building vehicles for people in need,” Renner said about the series. “But a few years ago, I thought, ‘How can I plus this up and create a bigger impact on a whole community?’ And that’s what this show does. This is one of my biggest passions and it’s a driving force in my recovery, and I can’t wait for the world to see it.”

Renner’s recovery from his accident, which saw him break 30 different bones after being run over by his own snow plow, is inspiring to see - as were these returns to form by celebrities who despite the harrowing circumstances still had an enduring career in their respective fields. 

Travis Barker

Travis Barker's life changed in 2008 after surviving a deadly plane crash that left him with third-degree burns on 65% of his body and mental health issues. Despite struggling with PTSD, Barker says he's making progress and some days never even thinks about the accident.

Speaking to Men’s Health in 2021, Barker explained "the closer I was to it, it felt like I was closer to the bad stuff than I am to the good stuff. I felt closer to the experience of trying to escape, [to] being in an accident and being burned, trying to grab my friends from a burning plane. That haunted me for a long time. 

“And as long as I was closer to that than this good stuff, I was always thinking about that. Now it's been so many years, it's getting easier for me. There are days where I'll wake up and never think about it."

Miranda Cosgrove

In 2011, Miranda Cosgrove was involved in a frightening bus accident while on tour that resulted in her needing surgery for a severe broken ankle. While in recovery, she discovered a mysterious hole in her leg that was unrelated to her ankle injury. Although the injury eventually healed, Miranda was left confused about its origin. She shared the story on the Hypochondriactor podcast, where she described her confusion and the medical staff's response.

“It was so strange, because when I woke up, I had a cast on, like a soft cast, and then later I went back and they removed it. And then that's when I noticed the hole. And I was asking questions like, 'What's this? What's that?' And then I was like, 'Wait, why is there a hole in my leg?' So they were like, 'Oh, we didn't do that,'" Miranda said.

Kanye West

Kanye West's rise to fame was almost cut short when he was involved in a car accident that resulted in severe injuries. The incident occurred just two weeks after signing his first record deal, where Kanye fell asleep while driving a rented car in the early morning. He underwent reconstructive surgery for his shattered jaw and had to keep it wired shut for a time. Despite struggling to regain his ability to rap, 

Kanye eventually recovered and even wrote a song called "Through the Wire" about his experience. Though at this point in time, some might argue that perhaps his jaw might have been best wired up for a little longer - or once again given his controversial comments that has seen his personal fortune plummet. 

Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford made a full recovery from the injuries he suffered when he crash-landed a single-engine plane onto a Los Angeles golf course in 2017. The actor’s two-seater World War II-era training plane had crashed at the Penmar Golf Course in Venice, California, after its engine had failed. Air-traffic control audio had reportedly indicated that Ford had requested an emergency return less than two minutes after he had taken off.

“A swath of his skin was missing. There was blood dripping down his face,” a witness had told TMZ. Ford’s son, Ben, had later tweeted: “At the hospital. Dad is ok. Battered, but ok! He is every bit the man you would think he is. He is an incredibly strong man.” Given that this wasn’t his first crash (he had a similar incident occur in 1999), we’d certainly agree with his son’s sentiments. 

Gary Busey

Having earned an Oscar nomination for playing Buddy Holly in The Buddy Holly Story in 1979, the mercurial talent’s life took a dramatic turn in 1988 when he was involved in a life-altering motorcycle accident. The accident threw him off the bike and onto a curb, splitting his skull and requiring immediate brain surgery. 

During the surgery, Gary claims he had a spiritual experience where he passed away and was presented with a choice by angels to either continue his destiny on Earth or remain in the spiritual realm. He chose to return, but his brain injury meant that he had to undergo months of rehabilitation to relearn how to walk and talk. 

While it was a challenging time for his family, Gary believes that the accident was an integral part of his journey. A journey that led him to working alongside Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze in Kathryn Bigelow’s hit action film Point Break in 1991.