Melissa and Mike Crabaugh will never be able to hug their son, Nicholas, again, but they say Corey Helton is the next best thing.
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Helton is someone the Crabaughs have never met until Sunday night, and never expected to.
"I turned 22 August 8, which was the day that he had passed," Helton said.
The two young men, both 22 years old, connected through tragedy.
"It was my birthday, and I've never seen anything like that in my life," Helton said. "I just had to stop and make sure the person's life was okay."
Helton came face-to-face with Nicholas Crabaugh during his last moments after a crash in the middle of Interstate 435 Thursday. Helton reached into Nicholas's car and offered a comforting hand.
Someone had apparently crashed into the back of Nicholas's car while he was on his way to see his girlfriend in Blue Springs, Missouri.
The Crabaughs, together with family and friends, embraced Helton Sunday night, hailing him as a Good Samaritan.
"When I met him, I didn't want to overwhelm him, I was a little nervous. It was a lot for him. It was a lot for a 22-year-old to have to see, to live through, so I tried to think about that," said Melissa. "But then I hugged him, and all I could do was cry, and I thanked him."
Helton said he was two cars behind Nicholas when the crash happened. He said he ran up to find Nicholas, who he found struggling to breathe inside the vehicle.
"I was rubbing the back of his head, and I was tapping the back of his head letting him know somebody's here for you and that you're not alone," Helton described.
Melissa learned Helton shared several interests with her late son, and called the meeting "destiny."
"To know somebody else who was there that could do that for him, there's no words, absolutely no words. It puts peace in our hearts and peace in our mind as well. He will always be a hero to us," said Melissa.
Helton says he has a guardian angel for life, and two families who love him.
"The day that it happened, I felt like I got a really good connection just being there rubbing on his head and letting him know I was there. It felt like I was his brother already," Helton told us.
"I feel the comfort of Nicholas. I really feel the comfort. And that's enough for me at this point," Melissa said.
Nicholas loved cars and was a part of a Dodge Charger car club. Several members came to the vigil Sunday and lit up their Chargers in Nicholas's honor.
It's unknown if the driver who rammed Nicholas's car could face any charges related to the crash or to Nicholas' death.
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