If you were driving on the highway and came upon 13 semi-trucks blocking your way, you would likely be confused and possibly unhappy. That is, until you learned that these 13 truck drivers blocked the highway to save a man’s life.
A Man Threatens to Take His Own Life
Recently, in the early hours of a Tuesday morning in Detroit, Michigan, a man was reported to be on an overpass and threatening to jump in order to take his own life. Reportedly, the man was struggling with issues in his family that led him to this place of hopelessness.
The Michigan State Police were alerted by a phone call about someone threatening suicide, and they found the man on an overpass over Interstate 696.
The police came up with a surprising and creative plan. “We always want to make sure that people realize there are so many other options,” said Lt. Michael Shaw.
And they did that, with the help of several truck drivers.
The Truck Drivers Blocked the Highway
Along with talking to the man and trying to calm him, the Michigan State Police began to ask semi-trailer truck drivers for help. The flagged down these drivers on the highway and began organizing them underneath the bridge so as to form a “safety net,” if the man were to jump.
That’s why the truck drivers blocked the highway. They were working together with state troopers and other local officials to show the man that people are for him.
Lt. Shaw explaining the tactic they took said, “They start to grab semi drivers and troopers standing there were able to line these semi-trucks underneath that overpass. So it’s kind of like a safety net to make sure if he moved anywhere on that overpass, there was a semi there.”
A photo was taken to show the truckers and police working together. Watch news coverage of the event here:
Apparently, this wasn’t the first time the Michigan State Police asked for help from truck drivers…