On April 24 at approximately 1:00 a.m., semi-truck drivers in the Oak Park region of Michigan received a distress call from local police: an unnamed man was standing on the brink of a nearby bridge, presumably preparing to plunge onto the freeway below.
These drivers then performed an extraordinary feat. They rushed to the scene to assist and positioned their trucks under the bridge to provide a relatively safe landing area for the man should he decide to jump.
Thankfully, he did not.
The remarkable line-up was no accident; the drivers had prepared for precisely this scenario.
According to Sgt. Jason Brockdorff of the Huntington Woods Police Department, local police officers and truck drivers had prepared for the response. What was out of the ordinary, though, was the overwhelming number of drivers who replied to the call.
“That’s a practice we use if we have a jumper,” Brockdorff said. “We try to do it every time, to lessen the distance someone would travel if they were to jump. Fortunately, that didn’t happen.”
The encounter lasted approximately four hours, well into the early morning hours. Once the trucks were in place, however, the police were able to negotiate with the unnamed individual with greater ease.
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. pic.twitter.com/RBAlCIXT1o
— MSP Second District (@mspmetrodet) April 24, 2018
The man eventually walked off the bridge on his own and is now seeking medical attention.
In a pair of tweets, the local police department drew attention to the occurrence to warn those in similar circumstances of the need of getting mental health treatment.
Together, the police and ordinary citizens saved a life.
Ordinary individuals responded to the appeal to assist a struggling fellow citizen. It is a sight that is difficult to ignore and a reminder of mankind at its finest.