The self-employed truck driver Niclas Nordström found himself stranded for 20 hours on Sweden’s E22 motorway due to heavy snowfall, describing it as the most challenging weather he’s faced in his 30-year trucking career.
Having run his own road freight business since the 1990s, Nordström mistakenly thought that traffic on the E22 would be cleared when he set out on Wednesday. He realized his error, along with around 1,000 other drivers, when he came to a stop near Linderöd around 1:45 PM.
“The cause of the jam had been established long before, so I assumed the police would have managed the situation and rerouted the traffic,” the 58-year-old shared with The Local. “I didn’t give it much thought at the moment. If there had been quicker decision-making, the lengthy queues wouldn’t have formed.”
During the blizzard, up to 1,000 vehicles became stuck on the E22 between Hörby and Kristianstad, prompting the Armed Forces to assist with evacuations and provide food and water to those trapped.
Nordström’s truck features only a day cab, leaving him with no sleeping accommodations; he spent the night sitting upright at the wheel. Fortunately, he was in a somewhat better position than those in passenger vehicles. However, traveling to Lund in Skåne and then heading home to Olofström, he lacked food and medicine, relying on the kindness of others for assistance.
“I met a couple from Holland who were very helpful. I had mentioned my hunger, and they kindly offered me coffee and a sandwich,” he recounted. During his long wait, he constantly checked the Swedish Transport Administration’s website for updates on road conditions.
“Every time I looked, the reopening time kept shifting. Initially it was set for 8 PM, then midnight, followed by 2 AM, and finally 2 PM the next day,” he said.
Eventually, around 10 AM, the Dutch driver received assistance from a local farmer who cleared a three-meter-wide path in the snow, allowing them to escape the motorway. They drove against the flow of traffic, flashing their lights until they reached a clear road.
“We both made it out through the gap—my Dutch friend and I. Even though we were driving against traffic, it was safe as there were no other vehicles. It was our initiative that got us out; otherwise, we would still be stuck,” he explained. Nordström noted that he’s never encountered such severe snow conditions in the southern regions of Skåne and Blekinge throughout his extensive career. “I’ve never experienced anything like this in 30 years of driving. The last comparable weather was in 1979 when Skåne was completely snowed in.”
