The self-employed truck driver Niclas Nordström spent a harrowing 20 hours trapped in snow on Sweden’s E22 motorway, which he described to The Local as the worst weather he has faced in his 30-year driving career.
Having operated his own road freight business since the 1990s, Nordström found himself stuck with around 1,000 other drivers near Linderöd around 1:45pm on Wednesday. He initially thought the blockage would have been resolved by the time he arrived.
“I assumed the police would have intervened by directing traffic away from the jam that was caused earlier,” the 58-year-old explained to The Local. “In hindsight, I realize I didn’t think it through adequately. With a bit more foresight, we could have avoided such long delays.”
As a blizzard pummeled the area, the E22 became clogged with up to 1,000 vehicles stranded between Hörby and Kristianstad. The Armed Forces were deployed to assist in evacuating people and delivering food and water to those trapped.
Although Nordström’s truck is equipped only with a day cab that lacks a bed, he managed to remain in a slightly more favorable position than passengers in cars, having to sleep upright at the wheel. However, he had no food or medicine on board during the ordeal and relied on the kindness of others.
“I met a couple from Holland who offered me coffee and a sandwich when I told them I was very hungry,” he recalled. Throughout the night, he monitored the Swedish Transport Administration’s website, waiting for updates on when the road would reopen. “The estimated reopening time kept getting postponed, from 8 PM to midnight, then 2 AM, and finally to 2 PM the next day,” he noted.
Ultimately, around 10 AM, the Dutch couple received assistance from a local farmer, who cleared a three-meter-wide path through the snow, allowing both of them to exit the motorway. They then drove against traffic, flashing their warning lights, until they found a clear road.
“We managed to drive out together by making our own way,” said Nordström, adding, “Fortunately, there was no traffic to pose a risk. If we hadn’t taken that initiative, we might still be stuck there.” In his experience driving mainly in the southern areas of Skåne and Blekinge, he had never encountered snow conditions as severe as those on Wednesday, stating, “This was unlike anything I’ve ever faced in 30 years—a winter like this hasn’t occurred in Skåne since 1979.”
