Self-employed truck driver Niclas Nordström found himself stuck in heavy snow on Sweden’s E22 motorway for 20 hours on Wednesday and Thursday. He described the situation as the most severe weather he has faced in his 30 years of driving.
Operating his road freight business since the 1990s, Nordström had assumed that the traffic congestion would be cleared by the time he took the E22. Instead, he and about 1,000 other drivers came to a standstill near Linderöd at around 1:45 PM.
“I thought the police would have already managed the situation and redirected traffic,” the 58-year-old told The Local. “I wasn’t thinking clearly. Had there been quicker responses, this wouldn’t have happened, and the queues would have been much shorter.”
As a blizzard swept across the region, up to 1,000 vehicles were stranded on the E22 between Hörby and Kristianstad. The Armed Forces were called in to assist with evacuations and deliver food and water to those trapped.
Nordström’s truck only featured a day cab without a bed, forcing him to sleep upright at the wheel, though he was in a relatively better situation than those in passenger cars. On his way to Lund, he had neither food nor medicine, relying on assistance from others.
“I met a couple from Holland who offered me coffee and a sandwich when they learned I was really hungry,” he shared. Throughout the night, he kept checking the Swedish Transport Administration’s website for updates on when the road would reopen.
Ultimately, around 10 AM, a local farmer helped clear a three-meter-wide path in the snow, allowing both Nordström and the Dutchman to leave the motorway. They drove against traffic down the opposite lane, using hazard lights, until they reached a road that was navigable.
Nordström, who primarily drives in the southern regions of Skåne and Blekinge, noted, “I’ve never encountered conditions like this in my entire career. The last time Skåne faced such severe weather was back in 1979.”
