The self-employed truck driver Niclas Nordström was trapped by snow on Sweden’s E22 motorway for a total of 20 hours on Wednesday and Thursday, describing the experience to The Local as the most severe weather he has faced in his 30-year career.
Nordström, who has operated his own road freight business since the 1990s, shared that he mistakenly assumed the congested traffic would be resolved when he took the E22 on Wednesday. He, along with approximately 1,000 other drivers, found himself stuck around Linderöd around 1:45 PM.
“The cause of the traffic jam had occurred much earlier, so I thought the police would have diverted motorists to alternate routes,” the 58-year-old told The Local. “However, I didn’t think it through properly. If there had been quicker decision-making, this situation could have been avoided.”
As a blizzard swept across the country, nearly 1,000 vehicles were stranded on the E22 between Hörby and Kristianstad, prompting the Armed Forces to assist with evacuations and deliver essential supplies like food and water to those trapped.
Nordström’s truck only features a day cab, which lacks a bed, forcing him to sleep upright at the wheel. However, he felt fortunate compared to those stuck in passenger vehicles. Despite being on his way to Lund in Skåne before heading home to Olofström in Blekinge county, he found himself without food or medicine in the truck and had to rely on the kindness of others.
“There were many different people there. I bonded with a couple from Holland who helped me the next day. I mentioned that I was very hungry, so they kindly invited me for coffee and a sandwich,” he recalled, noting he spent the night checking the Swedish Transport Administration’s website for updates on road conditions.
“Every time I checked, the reopening time was pushed back. It started as 8 PM, then midnight, followed by 2 AM, and eventually postponed to 2 PM the next day,” he explained.
Ultimately, at around 10 AM, the Dutch couple received assistance from a local farmer, who cleared a three-meter-wide path in the snow, allowing them to exit the motorway. They drove in the opposite lane with their warning lights flashing until they reached a navigable road.
Nordström remarked that having spent three decades driving primarily in Skåne and Blekinge, he had never experienced snow conditions like those on Wednesday. “In my 30 years of driving, I have never faced anything similar to this. The last time such severe weather affected Skåne was in 1979, when the whole region was covered in snow,” he stated.
