Jeremy Renner had been trying to save his nephew from getting struck by his snowplow when he was crushed by the 14,000-pound vehicle on New Year's Day.
A new report from the Washoe County Sheriff's Office obtained by CNN through a public records request shed new light on the incident that sent the Marvel actor to the hospital for several weeks. The report included firsthand interviews with Renner, which revealed how and why he was crushed by his snowplow.
It had previously been known that the "Hawkeye" star was using his PistenBully snowplow to pull his truck, which was being driven by a family member, out of the snow. That family member was his adult nephew, according to the sheriff's report.
After freeing the truck, the snowplow began to slide sideways and roll down the hill, Renner told investigators. He then jumped out without setting the emergency parking brake, but later noticed it was heading toward his nephew.
"Once he was off the Pistenbully, he realized it was heading directly toward [his nephew]," the report said. "He feared the Pistenbully was going to hit [his nephew], so he decided to attempt to stop or divert the Pistenbully."
During his attempt to board the snowplow, Renner climbed onto the moving track on the sides of the vehicle. He was then "immediately pulled under the left side track" and crushed as it continued rolling down the hill. His nephew helped the "Hurt Locker" actor until help arrived.
Investigators concluded that had Renner set the parking brake, the snowplow would not have rolled forward.
"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," the report said. Investigators also noted the brake indicator light inside the snowplow was not working.
Renner was airlifted to a hospital in critical condition where he spent the next several weeks, nursing "30 broken bones." He was released from the hospital by Jan. 16, in time to watch his Paramount+ series, "Mayor of Kingstown," in which he stars as Mike McClusky.
Last week, Renner updated fans with an Instagram post, showing him engaged in a physical therapy workout.
"Morning workouts, resolutions all changed this particular new years …. Spawned from tragedy for my entire family, and quickly focused into uniting actionable love," the actor wrote.
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