The self-employed truck driver Niclas Nordström was stranded by snow on Sweden’s E22 motorway for 20 hours on Wednesday and Thursday, experiencing the most severe weather of his 30-year career.
Nordström, who has operated his own freight business since the 1990s, admitted he mistakenly thought the traffic would be cleared when he entered the E22 on Wednesday. He soon realized his error along with about 1,000 other drivers when he came to a standstill near Linderöd around 1:45 PM.
“I assumed police would have already redirected the traffic due to the earlier incident, but I didn’t think it through properly. Had there been quicker decision-making, we could have avoided such long delays,” the 58-year-old shared with The Local.
A blizzard left up to 1,000 vehicles trapped on the E22 between Hörby and Kristianstad, prompting the Armed Forces to assist with evacuations and provide food and water to those affected.
Nordström’s truck has only a day cab, meaning he had to sleep upright at the wheel, though he was in a better position than many in smaller passenger cars. On his way to Lund in Skåne and then home to Olofström in Blekinge county, he found himself without food or medicine and relied on strangers for help.
“I met a couple from Holland who offered me coffee and a sandwich when I mentioned I was very hungry. I spent the night trying to track updates on the Swedish Transport Administration’s website about when the road would reopen,” he recounted.
Ultimately, at around 10 AM, a nearby farmer assisted the Dutch couple in clearing a three-meter-wide path through the snow, enabling Nordström and the Dutchman to leave the motorway. Despite driving against traffic for safety, they successfully reached a drivable road.
Having primarily driven in southern Skåne and Blekinge, Nordström remarked, “In my 30 years on the road, I’ve never seen conditions like this. The last major snow event in Skåne was back in 1979 when the region was completely snowed in.”
