Imagine driving along the freeway and all of a sudden you were forced to stop because more than a dozen big rigs were parked beneath an overpass in the middle of the highway.

Nobody likes to be stuck in traffic, so chances are you might experience a lot of emotions, ranging from frustration to anger, and of course, curiosity.

However, when you find out why such a commotion took place in Detroit in the wee hours of one April day, you will never again underestimate the power of humanity.

Lieutenant Mike Shaw of Michigan State Police and his team received a call around 1 a.m. about a man who wanted to jump off the bridge.

The MSP usually enlists the help of a trucker to help break a suicidal person's fall, and as Shaw told CNN, "most of the time these events are [resolved] pretty fast, so we only get one semi."

However, this man, whose identity is being protected by the cops, was more distressed than expected, so Shaw knew right away that their usual tactic wouldn't work.

"Once we figured out that this is a situation where someone might be contemplating taking their whole life ... we shut traffic down (and) we diverted it off onto the side streets," Shaw explained.

"We were able to convince him that this was not the right thing to do."

It didn't take long for the fast-thinking officers to come up with a plan that would save the man's life. First, they closed off both directions of the Interstate 696, then they started asking truck drivers trying to exit the highway to park under the overpass instead.

Soon, there were 13 trucks tightly grouped beneath the bridge with as little gaps as possible between them. This ensured that if the man were to fall, it would be for only about five or six feet instead of 14 feet to the concrete road, which would very likely result in his death.

It took hours, but the cops and the truckers were able to stop the man from going ahead with his heartbreaking plan.

"Usually when we talk to people that are involved in these type of incidents, we try to find out what that trigger is and rectify it," Shaw explained. "We were able to convince him that this was not the right thing to do, and we were able to get him to a local hospital where he is getting the help that he needs."

Although Shaw, his team and the truck drivers deserve praise, the lieutenant is insisting that they only did their duty and the attention should be placed on the fact that people are struggling and contemplating ending their own lives.

"In that picture somewhere is somebody that was contemplating ending their own life," he said. "We want that to be the story -- not what Michigan State Police did or what the truckers did, but that the person changed their own mind."

If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts please don't hesitate to seek help. You can contact the National Suicide Prevention Line at 1-800-273-8255 or call a loved one.