Kevin Hart of 'Jumanji' Fame Feels That He Was Reborn after Accident & Has a Chance to Be Better Than Before

Kevin Hart says his near-fatal car accident gave him a chance to be reborn and become "better than before." The actor and comedian also got specific about how the crash helped re-organize his priorities.

Kevin suffered major spine injuries in September when his 1970 Plymouth Barracuda veered off the road and rolled down an embankment in the Malibu Hills. At the time, many feared for his life and his ability to walk.

Covering the March issue of Men's Health, Kevin agreed that the accident was life-changing. One of the actor's surgeons told him that if his back fractures had been a quarter of a centimeter in one direction, they would have left him paralyzed.

Kevin has since revealed in a statement that he has "nothing but love for Jared and wish him and Rebecca a speedy recovery."

Kevin, 40, described the September 1 accident as a "resurrection" for him. "I feel like the other version of myself died in that moment, and this new version was born to understand and to do better," he explained.

Kevin still undergoes physical therapy and works out at his home gym, but he claimed it's not to get his body back to where it was. "I'm not trying to get back to where I was before—I want to be better than before," he declared.

The terrifying accident was a wake-up call for the "Jumanji" actor. Being confined to a hospital bed and having to rely on others for such basic activities as wiping himself and putting on socks helped him realize what matters most.

Kevin recalled:

"I got a chance to think about what matters, and it's not fame. It's not money. It's not jewelry, cars, or watches. What matters are relationships. You know, the people that were helping me get up and out of the bed."

Having someone tell him, "You can't be married to your career and date your family" helped Kevin understand the need to rearrange his priorities and put the same amount of energy into his family as he does his work.

"Now I'm doing a lot of little things that are important," the actor said of his current relationship with wife, Eniko, their two-year-old son Kenzo, and his older children from a previous marriage, daughter Heaven, 14, and son Hendrix, 12.

"I'm sitting with the kids before and after dinner. We are doing taco Tuesdays, Mexican-food Thursdays, Chinese-food Sundays," Kevin continued. "We got movie night twice a week. Now I'm walking my [expletive] dog."

Most importantly, the ace comic wants people to know that they need to implement "the same amount of time and energy into being present for what matters," because that's all you truly care about when things get rough.

In the early hours of September 1, Kevin, his friend Jared Black (who was driving the car), and Jared's fiancée Rebecca Broxterman were all involved in the scary car crash that left the actor and Jared with major injuries.

Officials later determined that Jared caused the accident by accelerating recklessly on the highway, but Kevin has since revealed in a statement that he has "nothing but love for Jared and wish him and Rebecca a speedy recovery."