DETROIT – More than a dozen semitrucks lined up together under an overpass in Detroit after a suicidal man threatened to jump, according to Michigan State Police.
The collective act of compassion was captured in a photo that was tweeted along with a message urging anyone who may be struggling with suicidal thoughts to get help.
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"This photo does show the work troopers and local officers do to serve the public. But also in that photo is a man struggling with the decision to take his own life. Please remember help is available through the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255," Michigan State Police posted on social media.
News 6 partner WDIV reports that the incident prompted closures of east and westbound Interstate 696 for several hours on Tuesday beginning at 1 a.m.
One man wrote on the Twisted Truckers Facebook page that he was driving the yellow truck seen on the left side of the photo when officers waved him and other drivers down so they would stop under the overpass, that way if the man jumped, his fall would not be as far and his chance of survival would be greater.
Chris Harrison wrote that he and the other truck drivers stayed there until about 3 a.m. while officers talked the man down from the edge. Once the man was safe, highway patrol officers shook the hands of each truck driver, according to Harrison's post.
Help is available for free 24 hours a day, seven days a week through the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. For more information on resources available for anyone struggling with suicidal thoughts, click here.