Kevin Hart feels 'lucky to be alive' as he celebrates 41st birthday

Kevin Hart shared a message of gratitude on his 41st birthday this week, nearly a year after a frightening car accident left him seriously injured.

“So blessed & so thankful to see the age 41....I’m lucky to be alive,” the actor and comedian wrote on Instagram. “There will never be another day that just goes by in my life that’s not treated with the highest level of respect and appreciation....God is great!!!! Thank you....Happy B Day to me damn it!!!!!”

Last September, Hart suffered major back injuries when his car rolled down an embankment in Calabasas, California. The driver of the car, filmmaker Jared Black, also sustained serious injuries, while the third passenger in the car, Black’s fiancée, Rebecca Broxterman, was not seriously hurt.

Hart required surgery after the accident, and he faced a long road to recovery that included extensive physical therapy and exercising.

The harrowing crash gave the comedian a new perspective on life, he said in an Instagram video last October.

“Basically, what you realize is that you’re not in control,” Hart said in a voice-over of footage from the accident. “No matter how much you think you’re in control, you’re not in control. At the end of the day, it can all be over, man.”

“You know, when God talks, you got to listen,” he continued. “And, I swear, life is funny because some of the craziest things that happen to you end up being the things that you needed most. In this case, I honestly feel like God basically told me to sit down. You know, you’re moving too fast, you’re doing too much, sometimes you can’t see the things that you’re meant to see. But after my accident, I see things differently.”

Jamie Foxx, John Legend, Mindy Kaling and other celebrities wished Hart a happy birthday on Instagram, and his wife, Eniko Hart, penned her own sweet birthday note to her husband.

“You’ve gotten better, older, & wiser over the years. I loved u then and love more of the man that you’ve become,” she wrote on Instagram. “We’ve shared so many memorable moments together..looking forward to celebrating another 10+ years/lifetime LIVING, LAUGHING, & LOVING with you on your birthday!”

The Harts have even more than usual to celebrate this year; the couple revealed earlier this year that Eniko is expecting their second child together, a girl.