Self-employed truck driver Niclas Nordström experienced an astonishing 20-hour ordeal trapped by snow on Sweden’s E22 motorway, which he described to The Local as the harshest weather conditions he has faced in his three decades of driving.
Having operated his own freight business since the 1990s, Nordström mistakenly assumed that the traffic on the E22 would be cleared when he set out on Wednesday. He, along with nearly 1,000 other drivers, found out differently when they became immobilized near Linderöd around 1:45 PM.
“I thought the police would have already stopped traffic and redirected drivers elsewhere,” the 58-year-old explained. “However, I didn’t really think it through. If there had been a bit more quick thinking, this wouldn’t have escalated into such long queues.”
As a blizzard lashed the region, up to 1,000 vehicles were left stranded on the E22 between Hörby and Kristianstad. The Armed Forces were called in to assist in evacuating drivers and supplying food and water to those still stuck.
Nordström’s truck features a day cab, which lacks a bed, forcing him to spend the night seated at the wheel. Despite this discomfort, he had an easier time compared to those in passenger vehicles. Traveling to Lund in Skåne before heading home to Olofström, he unfortunately had no food or medicine, relying on the kindness of others for support.
Among those he met was a Dutch couple who helped him the next day after he expressed his hunger. “They invited me in for coffee and a sandwich,” he recounted, adding that he spent the night monitoring the Swedish Transport Administration’s website for updates on road conditions.
Ultimately, at around 10 AM, the Dutchman received assistance from a local farmer who cleared a narrow passage through the snow, allowing them both to exit the motorway. They drove in the wrong direction on an opposite lane, using their warning lights until reaching a clear road. “We only escaped due to our own initiative; otherwise, we’d still be stuck,” he said, noting how he had never encountered such severe weather conditions in southern Sweden throughout his 30-year driving career.
