The self-employed truck driver Niclas Nordström was stuck in snow on Sweden’s E22 motorway for a staggering 20 hours on Wednesday and Thursday, experiencing what he described to The Local as the worst weather conditions of his three-decade career.
Unexpected Delays
Nordström, who has been running his own road freight business since the 1990s, assumed that the blocked traffic would have been cleared by the time he took the E22 on Wednesday. He, along with around 1,000 other drivers, quickly realized his mistake when they came to a standstill near Linderöd around 1:45 PM.
Misplaced Optimism
“I thought the traffic jam was caused earlier, so I just assumed the police had already diverted vehicles to other routes,” the 58-year-old told The Local. “However, I didn’t think this through carefully. If there had been quicker decision-making, we could have avoided such long delays.”
Stranded Drivers
Nearly 1,000 vehicles were trapped on the E22 between Hörby and Kristianstad as a blizzard struck. The Armed Forces were called to assist in evacuating stranded drivers and delivering food and water to those in need.
A Challenging Situation
Nordström’s truck is equipped with only a day cab, meaning he had to sleep upright at the wheel. Fortunately, he fared better than many passengers in smaller cars. However, on his journey to Lund in Skåne and then home to Olofström in Blekinge, he had neither food nor medicine in his truck, relying on the kindness of others.
Finding Help
“A couple from Holland was there, and they helped me out the next day. I mentioned I was very hungry, and they invited me in for coffee and a sandwich,” he shared. During the night, he frequently checked the Swedish Transport Administration’s website for updates on when the road would reopen.
Breaking Free
Initially, the reopening was scheduled for 8 PM, then midnight, 2 AM, and finally, 2 PM the following day. Eventually, around 10 AM, with the assistance of a local farmer, a three-meter-wide path was cleared in the snow, allowing them to leave the motorway. The duo then drove against the traffic in the opposite lane, flashing their hazard lights, until they reached a clear road.
A Unique Experience
“We both drove out through the opening, the Dutchman and I. We went against the flow of traffic, but there was none, so it was safe. Our initiative is what got us out; otherwise, we might still be there,” Nordström reflected. Having primarily driven in southern counties, he had never faced such severe snow conditions in his 30 years of experience. “I’ve never encountered anything like this. It hasn’t snowed so badly in Skåne since 1979, I believe, when the entire region was buried in snow,” he concluded.
