Providence, RI – As Rhode Island braces for the first snow of the season, particularly along I-95, state officials are urging drivers to prepare for slippery commutes and potential delays. 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 “incredible.” Some suggested his body may have entered a hibernation-like state, slowing his metabolism, while others credited the “igloo effect” of the snow-covered car, which insulated enough warmth to keep him alive.
When rescuers finally reached him, he was emaciated and barely conscious, wrapped in a sleeping bag with only cigarettes and comic books nearby. Doctors at Umea University Hospital said he suffered from severe hypothermia and malnourishment—but somehow survived.
With early snow hitting before Thanksgiving, Rhode Island emergency officials remind drivers to carry winter supplies like blankets, food, and water in their vehicles. As winter settles in across the Ocean State, one chilling question remains: Could you survive stuck on I-95 for two months like he did?
