The self-employed truck driver Niclas Nordström endured 20 hours trapped in snow on Sweden’s E22 motorway, describing it as the worst weather he has faced in his 30-year career.
Having operated his own road freight business since the 1990s, Nordström initially believed that the traffic blockage would be resolved by the time he accessed the E22 on Wednesday. He and around 1,000 other drivers realized their mistake when they found themselves stuck near Linderöd around 1:45 PM.
“The cause of the traffic jam had occurred much earlier, so I assumed the police would have already stopped and redirected vehicles,” explained the 58-year-old. “I didn’t think things through. If I had acted more decisively, we wouldn’t have been stuck in such long lines.”
As a blizzard raged across the region, nearly 1,000 vehicles were stranded on the E22 between Hörby and Kristianstad. The Armed Forces were called to assist with evacuating stranded motorists and providing them with food and water.
Nordström’s truck is equipped with a day cab, offering no sleeping area, forcing him to sleep upright at the wheel. However, he felt fortunate compared to those trapped in passenger vehicles. On his way to Lund in Skåne, heading home to Olofström in Blekinge, he had no food or medicine, relying on the kindness of others.
“There were all kinds of people stuck there. I became friends with a couple from Holland who helped me the next day when I mentioned my hunger. They invited me in for coffee and a sandwich,” he recounted.
Throughout the night, he monitored the Swedish Transport Administration’s website for updates on when the road would reopen, but the expected opening times kept getting pushed back—from 8 PM to midnight, then 2 AM, and ultimately to 2 PM the following day.
Finally, around 10 AM, the Dutchman received assistance from a local farmer who created a three-meter-wide path through the snow, allowing them both to leave the motorway. They then drove in the wrong direction down the opposite lane with their warning lights flashing, until they reached a clear road.
Nordström, who primarily drives in Skåne and Blekinge, has never experienced conditions like those on Wednesday. “I’ve never encountered anything like this in my 30 years of driving. Skåne hasn’t seen such severe weather since 1979,” he said.
