It’s been almost five years since Antawn Cook had his motorcycle accident. Almost five years since he nearly lost his life. Almost five years since he did lose his leg.

His wife still has her husband. His two children still have their father.

Cook has yet to ride a motorcycle on the street since his accident July 21, 2015.

Antawn Cook lost his leg in a motorcycle accident in 2015 from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

For the Birmingham truck driver, that’s a big loss. He started riding motorcycles when he was 8 years old and spent much of his life riding weekends with friends and relatives.

May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month.

Cook now wears a prosthetic leg and said awareness is key, whether you’re the motorcycle rider or the driver of a car or truck sharing the road with them.

“Know what can possibly happen to you if you make decisions and just try to protect yourself the best way you can,” he said. “For the experienced riders, respect the rules of the road and also know that a lot of times, people driving cars, they don’t see you. It’s not necessarily that they’re trying to injure you – they just flat out don’t see you.”