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How Truckers Fit Into Michigan Police's Suicide Prevention Strategy

13 semi truck drivers became heroes Tuesday morning as they helped Michigan State Police coax a man off a busy highway overpass.

13 semi truck drivers became heroes Tuesday morning as they helped Michigan State Police coax a man off a busy highway overpass.

The Michigan State Police organized a unique way to help a man who was threatening suicide on a highway overpass: they pulled together multiple semi truck drivers to help shorten the fall.

It's a tactic that most of us haven't seen before but we learned today it's actually something Michigan State Police have been doing for decades: line up semi trucks next to each other in hopes that if someone were to jump, the fall is shorter. Lt. Mike Shaw says they started this 23 years ago.

Caroline Cournoyer is GOVERNING's senior web editor.