MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A St. Louis Park Good Samaritan who lost a leg helping a stranger along the freeway has been honored.

On Dec. 17, 2011, Keith Barnes got out of his car on Interstate 94 in St. Paul to help a woman whose car flipped in an earlier accident.

“I was just doing, you know, a good deed. I seen somebody that needed help and I went to help,” said Barnes.

That’s when an accused drunken driver struck him.

Barnes doesn’t remember much from that night. It wasn’t until Barnes woke up a month and a half later –with an amputated leg and several broken bones — that doctors filled in the rest.

“I was like, ‘wow, all that happened? That really happened to me?’” said Barnes.

A single father, Barnes said he was motivated to recover so he could be there for his six children.

“I always taught them to be able to help people that are in need of help. So, me by doing that, showed them,” said Barnes.

Little did Barnes know, the lessons for his six kids will continue to come.

“I like to show them that it doesn’t matter what happens in life, you can always get through it,” said Barnes.

On Thursday, Sen. Al Franken came to the Grooming House Barber Shop in St. Paul – where Barnes worked – to honor Barnes. Franken presented him with an American flag that flew over the State Capitol.

Barnes says that although it may take some time to get back to work, he plans to return to work at barber shop.

As a self-employed barber, Barnes didn’t have insurance. He says he’s grateful to several local barber shops who worked to raise money.