Seeing 13 truck drivers parked under a bridge and blocking traffic on the highway going in both directions is definitely unusual. But, that’s exactly what fellow drivers encountered in Michigan. As if the sight wasn’t bizarre enough, the reason why they were doing it left onlookers even more stunned.
Michigan State Police Lt. Michael Shaw found himself in need of the public’s help in the wee hours of a Tuesday morning. Luckily, he’d get exactly what he needed from a group of selfless individuals. Now, the image of the 13 truck drivers is leaving many speechless.
After police in Detroit received a call that there was a man threatening to kill himself by jumping off an overpass above Interstate 696, several local law enforcement agencies rushed to the scene with negotiators. Then, the police came up with an unexpected plan to safeguard against the worst-case scenario, according to CBS News. The trucks created a “safety net” under the underpass.
When officers arrived on the scene, they calmly talked to the man as others took to the highway, flagging down truck drivers and organizing them into a row beneath the bridge, in order to shorten the distance that the man would fall if he were to jump, ABC News reported. Lt. Shaw said the trucks got into position, packed tightly together, “to make sure if [the man] moved anywhere in that overpass, there was a semi there.” Later, MSP Metro Detroit took to Twitter to share an image of the incredible effort.