Knoxville, TN – As Tennessee braces for the first freeze of the season, especially along I-40, drivers are being urged to prepare for slick roads and cold 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 dropped to -30°C (-22°F).
Experts called his survival “incredible.” Some believe his body 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 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 confirmed he was suffering from severe hypothermia and malnourishment—but somehow survived.
With early snow expected before Thanksgiving, Tennessee officials are urging drivers to pack winter emergency kits with blankets, food, and water before hitting the highways. As the Volunteer State faces its first taste of true winter, one chilling question remains: Could you survive stuck on I-40 for two months like he did?
