It’s news no police officer wants to hear: a suspected suicide attempt about to happen.

Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US. Though there is a much greater level of support for those suffering from mental illness than there used to be, it’s easy for some people to slip through the cracks.

So when police in Detroit received a call about a man threatening to kill himself on Interstate 696, they knew they had to act fast.

In situations like this, every minute counts.

Police rushed to the scene, accompanied by negotiators – officers who are specially trained to talk people intent on suicide “off the ledge”, so to speak.

Though they had the best resources available, the police knew that they might still be unable to convince the man not to jump.

That’s when they came up with an unexpected plan to hopefully prevent the worst-case scenario.

It was just after 1 a.m., but there were still plenty of semi-trucks on the road. It didn’t take officers from Michigan State Police long to flag down the required trucks and line them up in a row beneath the overpass.

The idea was simple: if the man jumped, he had less of a distance to fall.

State Police lieutenant Michael Shaw recalled:

“They started to grab semi drivers and troopers were then able to line these trucks underneath that overpass. So, it was kind of like a safety net, to make sure that if he moved anywhere on that overpass, there was a semi there.”

A video shows the truckers lining up along the eastbound lanes of the highway. Next, the westbound lane is closed, and more semi-trucks arrive to take their spots on this side of the road.

By the time the entire space beneath the bridge was covered, there were 13 trucks lined up, side-by-side.

It was a tense time, and the trucks remained in place for several hours. Thankfully, the situation was safely defused, and the man was escorted to a nearby hospital.

Lieutenant Michael Shaw told ABC News that his police force had done this before, adding:

“We’ve never, ever had a truck driver turn us down.”

It’s hard to imagine the anxiety of being involved in such a situation, and all involved should be commended for their actions.

When Michigan State Police shared pictures from the scene on Twitter, it didn’t take long for the story to go viral.

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 Metro Detroit (@mspmetrodet) April 24, 2018

The man on the bridge reportedly told police that he was having issues with his family.

It’s desperately sad that anyone should feel drawn to thinking that suicide is the only way to put an end to life’s difficulties.

Remember, help is always available. If you need to talk to someone, click here.

The video below shows the moment the truckers lined up to save a man’s life while most of America was sleeping.

Click “play” to watch it now.

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Source: ABC News/ YouTube, CBS News, Suicidehotlines