The actor got emotional in his first interview since the January accident

He is lucky to be alive after suffering a horrific accident when he was crushed by a snow-plough on New Year's Day, and no one is more aware of that than Jeremy Renner.

The 'Hawkeye' actor has given his first interview with Diane Sawyer since the accident, revealing that he threw himself in the path of the snowplough to save his nephew.

The accident left the 52-year-old with thirty broken bones and in critical condition in ICU, but he pulled through although he is still using a wheelchair.

However, in clips from the interview - which is set to be broadcast in full today in the US - Renner says that his adult nephew Alex was the only witness and 'screamed for help' as he didn't have his phone. Footage from the 911 call also reveals that Alex thought that he was dead.

"If I was there on my own, it would have been a horrible way to die. A horrible way. It surely would," the actor said, fighting back tears. "But I wasn't on my own. My nephew, sweet Alex, was there. And then the rest of the cavalry came."

Renner explained how the accident happened, saying that he jumped out of the 7-tonne snowplough after it started to slide - but when he saw that it was headed for a car that his nephew was driving, he attempted to climb back in and slipped under its tracks.

He admitted that while he was in hospital, he wrote notes to his family saying goodbye in case he didn't pull through.

"So I'm writing down notes on my phone, last words to my family," he said, breaking down in tears.

He also said that despite his injuries and the trauma suffered, "“I’d do it again. Because [the snowplough] was going right at my nephew."

Watch the clip below: