ST. JOSEPH – Mike Peters is a hero.

In November, the St. Joseph man saved a life.

Last week, he was honored for it.

"He is an angel," said Amanda Mullins of Champaign. "He is my hero and he did save my life."

Mullins, who works for Illinois American Water Co., was checking a meter in St. Joseph on Nov. 30 because the property owner had a large water bill. While she was checking the meter, she decided to change it to a radio-read meter because the company is in the process of changing all older meters. Mullins had to enter the meter pit.

"I was trying to shimmy out and then I slid forward," she said.

Mullins was stuck in the pit for three hours. She was head first and unable to get herself out.

"I was pretty sure I was dying," she said. "I went in and out of consciousness."

Peters returned to his home from his job as St. Joseph public works superintendent around 4 p.m. He noticed the water company van parked down the street but thought nothing of it and went to work putting up his Christmas lights. Thirty minutes later, he noticed the van hadn't moved.

Peters, who used to work for the water company, knew that most meter checks didn't take that long, so he headed for the van.

"It was just out of the ordinary," he said. "I thought maybe I know them or maybe they are having a problem."

By this time it was dark. He headed toward the meter pit and could barely make out two feet dangling in the air.

"I tugged on her coat and pulled until I got her out of the pit," Peters said.

"I started crying immediately," Mullins said. "Someone had finally found me."

Once Peters freed Mullins from the pit, he called 911 and was told to ask Mullins the date and day. She answered both questions. By this time, an ambulance had arrived and Mullins was taken to the hospital.

Mullins' mother, Debbie, met her at the hospital.

Debbie Mullins said the doctors told her that her daughter had been moments from death.

"It would have been a matter of minutes and she would have been gone," Debbie Mullins said.

Mullins suffered swelling and other injuries from being upside down for so long.

After taking some time to heal from her ordeal, Mullins is now back at work.

"Something like this does change you," Mullins said. "It makes you appreciate the time you do have and the things you have. I made some changes in my life. God gave me a second chance."

Randy West, operation superintendent for Illinois American Water, presented Peters with a gift certificate to show the company's appreciation at a ceremony held Monday.

"I just met Mike, but you're very fortunate to have a person like him," he told the group gathered to honor Peters. "I don't think anyone can thank anyone enough for what Mike did for us."

West said the company is looking at having workers wear personal alarms that they would be able to set off if they were trapped in a pit.

He said it was the first time in the company's history that a worker became trapped while working in a pit.

"No matter what you do, you can't prevent all accidents," he said. "It's not anything any of us want to go through again."

Mullins was also on hand to present Peters with a certificate of appreciation from the water company. Her co-workers nominated Peters for the honor, and she requested that she be the one to present it.

"Words cannot express what you did," she told him. "You really saved my life."