The self-employed truck driver Niclas Nordström found himself trapped in snow on Sweden’s E22 motorway for 20 hours during Wednesday and Thursday, describing it as the worst weather he has faced in his three-decade career.
Nordström, who has operated his own freight transport business since the 1990s, had mistakenly believed that the blocked traffic would have been cleared when he joined the E22 on Wednesday. He realized his error, alongside approximately 1,000 other drivers, when he became 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 redirected the vehicles to alternate routes,” the 58-year-old shared with The Local. “Looking back, I didn’t think it through adequately. A bit more quick thinking could have prevented this situation and the lengthy queues.”
As a blizzard swept through the area, around 1,000 vehicles were left stranded on the E22 between Hörby and Kristianstad. The Armed Forces were called in to assist with evacuating stranded motorists and delivering essential supplies to those still trapped.
Nordström’s truck is equipped with a day cab, lacking a bed, which forced him to sleep in an upright position at the steering wheel. However, he was in a somewhat better situation compared to those in passenger vehicles. On his journey to Lund in Skåne, en route to his home in Olofström, he found himself without food or medicine and had to depend on the generosity of others.
“I met a couple from Holland who were very helpful. When I mentioned how hungry I was, they invited me in for coffee and a sandwich,” he recalled. He spent the night tracking updates on the Swedish Transport Administration’s website, observing the expected reopening times continually being postponed.
“First, it was set for 8 PM, then midnight, followed by 2 AM, and ultimately, it was pushed to 2 PM the next day,” he explained. Eventually, around 10 AM, the Dutch couple received assistance from a local farmer who cleared a three-meter-wide pathway through the snow, allowing both of them to exit the motorway.
“We drove out through the opening, going against the flow of traffic, but there was no traffic, so it wasn’t hazardous. It was only because we took the initiative that we managed to leave; otherwise, we would still be stuck there,” he noted. Nordström, who primarily drives in the southern regions of Skåne and Blekinge, admitted that he has never encountered such severe snow conditions before. “In my 30 years of driving, I’ve never witnessed anything like this; this kind of weather hasn’t affected Skåne since 1979,” he concluded.
