The self-employed truck driver Niclas Nordström found himself trapped in snow on Sweden’s E22 motorway for 20 hours, experiencing the most severe weather of his 30-year career, as reported to The Local.
Nordström, who has operated his own road freight business since the 1990s, assumed the blocked traffic would be cleared when he took the E22 on Wednesday. He quickly realized his error, along with around 1,000 other drivers, when he came to a standstill near Linderöd around 1:45 PM.
“The reason for the traffic jam occurred long before, so I thought the police would have diverted the cars by then,” the 58-year-old stated to The Local. “Honestly, I didn’t think it through. With a bit more quick thinking, this situation could have been avoided, saving us from those long queues.”
Roughly 1,000 vehicles were stranded on the E22 between Hörby and Kristianstad as a blizzard swept through the area. The Armed Forces were deployed to assist with evacuations and to distribute food and water to those still trapped.
Nordström’s truck features a day cab—lacking a bed—forcing him to sleep upright at the wheel. Fortunately, his predicament was better than that of many passengers in smaller vehicles. However, with no food or medicine on board as he was en route to Lund before heading home to Olofström, he had to depend on the kindness of others.
While stranded, he befriended a Dutch couple who offered help the next day. “I mentioned I was really hungry, and they invited me in for coffee and a sandwich,” he recounted.
He spent the night checking the Swedish Transport Administration’s website for updates on the road’s reopening. “The reopening time kept getting pushed back—first it was 8 PM, then midnight, and then 2 AM, finally extending to 2 PM the next day,” he noted.
Ultimately, by around 10 AM, with the assistance of a local farmer who cleared a three-meter-wide path, Nordström and the Dutchman were able to exit the motorway. They drove in the opposite lane with flashers on until they found a clear road.
Nordström, who primarily drives in southern Skåne and Blekinge, emphasized that he had never faced such severe snow conditions. “I’ve never encountered anything like this in my 30 years of driving. The weather has not been this severe in Skåne since 1979,” he concluded.
