INDIANAPOLIS — 17-year-old Jaxon Chiamopoulus is months away from graduating high school. He said he would not have lived to walk the stage if not for Adam Barr's heroics.
Barr pulled Chiamopoulus from his car after it crashed into a home and caught fire after a gas leak.
"He definitely saved my life," Chiamopoulus said. "There was no way I would have gotten out of the car without catching on fire. I had seven seconds before the car was fully in flames."
"It's a lot scarier thinking back to the moment than what happened in the moment," Barr said.
The city of Fishers honored Barr for his actions Thursday and presented him with the Life Saver Award.
"When you commit yourself in harm's way for another person, it creates a bond that can't be broken and you did that," Fishers Fire Chief Steve Orusa told Barr during the ceremony.
Chiamopoulus said he was driving home in Fishers' Sandstone neighborhood when his car's steering locked up, which sent his car into the home. Barr lived just down the street and came to Chiamopoulus' rescue the moment he saw the impact.
Barr and Chiamopoulus had not seen each other since the crash, but the father of three said the teenager was constantly on his mind before the ceremony.
"I know his knee was pretty messed up and he was pretty scared," Barr said. "I have thought about him quite a few times, making sure he's okay and making sure he can do the things he wants to do as he's growing up."
