The self-employed truck driver Niclas Nordström found himself stranded by snow on Sweden’s E22 motorway for a staggering 20 hours on Wednesday and Thursday, describing the weather conditions as the worst he has experienced in his 30-year career.
Since the 1990s, Nordström has operated his own road freight business. He mistakenly believed that the blocked traffic would be cleared by the time he ventured onto the E22 on Wednesday. However, he soon realized his error, along with approximately 1,000 other drivers, when he came to a standstill near Linderöd around 1:45 PM.
“The cause of the traffic jam had occurred much earlier, so I thought the police would have redirected the vehicles onto alternative routes,” the 58-year-old recounted to The Local. “But I didn’t think things through. A bit more quick thinking could have prevented this situation and the long queues that ensued.”
Up to 1,000 vehicles were trapped on the E22 between Hörby and Kristianstad due to an intense blizzard, with the Armed Forces called in to assist in evacuating stranded drivers and distributing food and water to those still awaiting rescue.
Nordström’s truck is equipped with a day cab, which lacks a sleeping area, forcing him to sleep in an upright position at the wheel. Still, he considered himself luckier than those stuck in passenger vehicles. However, as he was en route to Lund in Skåne and then returning to Olofström in Blekinge county, he had no food or medicine in the truck and had to depend on the kindness of others.
“I met a couple from Holland who were very helpful the next day. I mentioned how hungry I was, and they kindly invited me for coffee and a sandwich,” he shared. He spent the night monitoring the Swedish Transport Administration’s website for updates on when the road would reopen.
“The expected reopening time kept getting pushed back—from 8 PM to midnight, then to 2 AM, and finally to 2 PM the following day,” he mentioned.
Eventually, around 10 AM, a local farmer assisted the Dutchman and Nordström by creating a three-meter-wide track through the snow, allowing both of them to exit the motorway. They cautiously drove against traffic down the opposite lane, utilizing their warning lights, until they reached a road that was passable.
Nordström noted that he had never faced weather conditions as severe as those he encountered on Wednesday in the southern counties of Skåne and Blekinge. “I’ve never, ever experienced anything like this in my 30 years of driving. Such bad weather hasn’t hit Skåne since 1979, when the entire region was buried under snow,” he concluded.
