Detroit Michigan drivers were in for quite the surprise early Tuesday morning, when their 696 freeway was suddenly blocked going both ways. The bizarre scene began around 1am, and by the time it was 4am not a lane was open.
This blockage was anything but typical traffic. Instead, drivers were greeted by quite the sight as 13 semitrailers lined up one by one underneath the freeway’s overpass bridge. While at first glance it appeared to be in order to stop traffic, drivers would quickly learn that the reason had nothing to do with the road at all.
As it turned out, the semi truck drivers were working off a tip from the Michigan State Police. Truck drivers often get calls from the local police informing them of situations or recruiting their help, but this call had an effect no one saw coming.
Facebook/Michigan State Police
A few minutes earlier, the police had received an urgent call informing them of a man wandering the bridge’s overpass and preparing to jump. Unable to coax him off the bridge, and caution to approach for fear of making the situation worse, the officers were running out of options. That is when they sent an urgent plea to the semitrailer drivers asking for their help. If they couldn’t get the man off the bridge, they were going to have to put something underneath it.
One by one, 13 semi trucks parked across the freeway. Their goal was to give this man another chance at life, and if this meant shortening his fall then they were prepared to do it.
Finally at 4am their heroic efforts paid off. The man finally succumbed to the officers’ pleas, and walked towards them voluntarily to seek medical help.
Fox 2 Detroit was at the scene as the whole thing unfolded. Watch the incredible moment the last semi truck pulled up in the Twitter video below.
This is the moment the last semi truck pulled in to help the man who was considering suicide this morning on 696. More photos: https://t.co/PZ1Hb0LItY pic.twitter.com/sA4KhFHkku
— FOX 2 Detroit (@FOX2News) April 24, 2018
