The self-employed truck driver Niclas Nordström experienced an exhausting ordeal when he was stranded in snow for 20 hours on Sweden’s E22 motorway, calling it the most severe weather he has faced in his 30-year career.
Nordström, who has operated his own freight business since the 1990s, mistakenly assumed that traffic on the E22 would be cleared when he set out on Wednesday. He, along with roughly 1,000 other drivers, became aware of the gridlock near Linderöd around 1:45 PM.
The 58-year-old explained to The Local that he thought the police had already diverted traffic due to an earlier incident. “I didn’t really think it through. If there had been a bit more quick thinking, we could have avoided such lengthy delays,” he stated.
As a blizzard lashed the region, up to 1,000 vehicles became stuck between Hörby and Kristianstad. The Armed Forces were called in to assist in evacuating stranded motorists and supplying food and water to those trapped.
Nordström’s truck was equipped with a day cab lacking a bed, forcing him to sleep upright at the wheel. However, he considered himself fortunate compared to those in passenger vehicles, despite lacking food or medicine while en route to Lund in Skåne, then back home to Olofström.
During his time stuck, he formed friendships with a couple from Holland, who assisted him the next day. They provided him with coffee and a sandwich after he expressed his hunger.
Frustrated, he continually checked the Swedish Transport Administration’s website for updates on when the road would reopen. The times kept getting postponed—initially 8 PM, then midnight, followed by 2 AM, and finally 2 PM the next day.
Eventually, around 10 AM, the Dutch couple received help from a local farmer who cleared a path through the snow, allowing them to exit the motorway. They drove against the flow of traffic, flashing their warning lights, until they found a usable road. “We took the initiative to leave; otherwise, we’d still be stuck,” he remarked.
Having driven primarily in Skåne and Blekinge, Nordström noted that he had never experienced such extreme snow conditions. “I’ve never faced anything like this in my 30 years of driving. Such severe weather hasn’t been seen in Skåne since 1979,” he recalled.
