SCHUYLER, Neb. (AP) — An 85-year-old Nebraska man credits a mail carrier with saving his life on a recent hot day after he fell in the yard.

The Columbus Telegram reports Marvin Skarda didn’t let the summer heat keep him from doing his yard work.

But after mowing the back yard on July 17, Skarda fell over while trying to pick weeds because of the pain of a recent rib injury. Skarda says he didn’t have the strength to get up and with his neighbors all at work, he didn’t think he would survive.

“All that was going through my mind was that I was going to die. I really thought I was going to cash it in,” Skarda said. “I just started praying because I knew I had no chance.”

Three weeks before this incident, Skarda had been in a car accident after visiting his wife’s grave and broken three of his ribs.

Skarda’s alert button to call an ambulance was inside his house charging, so all he could do was call for help over and over again.

Fortunately 24-year-old Aaron Muller heard Skarda’s cries from across the street while delivering mail.

Muller, who was filling in on the route that day, found Skarda in his backyard and helped him up. He even returned at the end of his route to make sure he was OK and found Skarda confused from the heat.

So Muller sat with Skarda and made a few calls to family members and a doctor before moving on.

“He might not think he’s a hero, but he’s my hero,” Skarda said.

Muller didn’t bother telling his boss about helping Skarda because he doesn’t view it as a big deal.

“If someone needs help you just help them, it’s not a question,” Muller said. “I didn’t do anything exceptional. I was just helping him. Good Samaritan maybe, but not a hero.”