Columbus, OH – As Ohio braces for the first snow of the season, particularly along I-70, drivers are being warned to expect slippery roads and colder morning commutes. But imagine being trapped inside your car for two months, surviving only on handfuls of snow.
According to the Daily Mail, a 44-year-old Swedish man was discovered in February 2012 after surviving roughly 60 days snowed-in inside his car near the town of Umea in northern Sweden. Authorities said his vehicle became buried after a snowstorm on December 19, and he lived on snow alone as temperatures plunged to -30°C (-22°F).
Experts described his survival as “miraculous.” Some suggested his body entered a hibernation-like state, slowing his metabolism, while others credited the “igloo effect” of the snow-covered car, which trapped enough warmth to sustain him.
When rescuers finally found him, he was emaciated and barely conscious, wrapped in a sleeping bag with only cigarettes and comic books inside. Doctors at Umea University Hospital confirmed he was suffering from severe hypothermia and malnourishment—but alive.
With early snowfall forecast before Thanksgiving, Ohio emergency officials urge residents to prepare winter survival kits with blankets, food, and water before traveling. As the Buckeye State heads into another cold season, one chilling question remains: Could you survive stuck on I-70 for two months like he did?
