Some 13 Michigan tractor-trailer drivers worked together with the police to save a suicidal man from what he was about to do on the Detroit freeway.
At around 1 a.m. on Tuesday, April 24, the police received a 911 call alerting them of a man standing on the edge of an overpass at the Interstate 696 near Huntington Woods. Authorities quickly assessed the situation and diverted traffic to the side streets as the troopers tried to stop truckers to ask them for a favor.
Some 13 trucks eventually began lining up alongside each other just beneath the overpass. Lt. Mike Shaw told reporters that if the man really did decide to jump, he would have just fallen on the trucks some five to six feet below and not the concrete road 14 feet down.
The Michigan State Police shared a photo of the trucks lining up on Twitter, which has gone viral. The post also included the number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
On Facebook, a trucker name Chris Harrison confirmed that he was one of the truckers who helped prevent the suicide attempt. He posted that the incident took over two hours to be resolved and a highway patrol officer shook their hands and thanked them afterwards.
The unidentified man willingly walked away from the overpass with the police and was brought to a nearby hospital for an assessment. The police said he lives in Oakland County and is about 30 years old.
One in every 25 suicide attempts ends in death and at least 45,000 people die from suicide each year, according to the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention (AFSP). Statistics suggest middle-aged white men are four times more likely to commit suicide than women.
"You can also call a loved one, member of the clergy or 911," the Michigan State Police also wrote on Twitter. "There are so many people that can help you make the choice to get help and live!"
If you are in need of support, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255
