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KINGSVILLE, Mo. — A man who lost part of his leg in a crash while riding his motorcycle has a message for other drivers: be on the lookout for bikers.

As the snow melts and the weather warms up again, plenty of bikers will return to the roads.

Dozens of bikers raised about $4,000 last weekend to help Brian Alexander recover from his injuries. They say too many riders are suffering in traffic accidents because car drivers aren’t looking for them.

On a beautiful near 70 degree day at the end of January, Alexander couldn’t resist firing up one of his motorcycles and taking it for a spin.

“Just enjoying the day and someone didn’t see me,” he explained.

While riding in a rural area near his home, Alexander says a dump truck suddenly turned in front of him, leaving him nowhere to go, and not enough room to stop.

“I slid the bike into the truck and that’s kind of all I remember is those parts flying and ambulances,” Alexander said.

Now, more than a month later, Alexander is getting used to rolling around in a wheelchair.

His left ankle was broken and he fractured his back. But where his right foot should be, there’s nothing but an empty pant leg.

“They sewed me up at Research (Medical Center) and waited for me to come off anasthesia,” he said. “So they could talk to me and told me I could keep what I had left of my foot and never use it again, or lose my leg. So I chose to lose my leg.”

Despite what he’s been through, Alexander says he’s thankful. He was on his way to pick up his 4-year-old daughter from day care, and he shudders to think what would have happened had she been on the back of his bike when the crash happened.

Alexander’s biker friends are rallying around him, donating money for his recovery and helping keep his spirits up.

“We want biker awareness. We want people to pay more attention to bikes,” said longtime friend Wayne Dilday. “This is happening way too often. This is the third person I know this year that’s been involved in a major bike accident.”

Dilday wants to reconfigure Alexander’s other motorcycle into a trike so one day he can enjoy riding again.

“I will walk before the end of summer and I will be back on my motorcycle,” Alexander vowed. “Before the end of summer.”

As soon as Alexander’s left leg heals he’ll be fitted for a prosthesis. He hopes that by speaking out about what happened to him, the number of accidents involving motorcycles will drop.