A traffic accident on the E4 north of Huskvarna caused a complete halt in both directions, with some drivers turning around against traffic. One person was hospitalized, and the incident is considered an accident without criminal intent. The disruption is expected to last until 5 PM.
Traffic Chaos on E4: Patience Urged After Major Accident
Traffic Chaos on E4: Patience Urged After Major Accident
A traffic accident caused a complete halt on the E4 north of Huskvarna on Sunday afternoon. Amid the traffic chaos, some cars began driving in the wrong direction.
"I was supposed to be in Stockholm in about 40 minutes, but now it will probably take another three hours," said Kalle Olsson, who was caught in the queue.
At around 2 PM, police were alerted to a collision on the E4 north of Huskvarna. The accident led to a complete stop in both directions, and three cars needed to be towed from the scene.
One person has been taken to the hospital by ambulance, but their condition is unclear.
"You can expect this to take time," said Martina Gradian, police spokesperson in the East region, at an early stage.
Police do not suspect any crime behind the accident, viewing it as a pure accident. Traffic is still affected, and the Swedish Transport Administration estimates it will remain so until 5 PM.
Driving from Gothenburg to Stockholm
One of the people caught in the traffic chaos is Kalle Olsson, 38, from Gothenburg. He was driving from his hometown to Stockholm, but north of Huskvarna, he was stopped.
"I'm heading northbound and have been sitting for two hours. Maybe three minutes ago, our lane opened. It is still at a standstill southbound, and one lane was already closed due to roadwork," he said at 4:10 PM.
Kalle explains that traffic came to a complete stop shortly after 2 PM. When police and ambulances arrived later, he realized an accident had occurred. He spent his time in the queue reading a book, he says.
"I was outside the car talking to a Finnish woman in the car behind who wanted to know what had happened," he says.
"Several Cars Turned Around"
According to information from Expressen, several cars in the queue began to turn around and drive in the wrong direction. This was something the police advised against early on, as it could have required resources to control the traffic.
Instead, they urged drivers to be patient and trust that they were working as quickly as possible.
"Several cars have turned and are driving back against the direction. It becomes quite dangerous, you know," said a person in the queue at 3 PM.
The police have not chosen to file any reports against any of those who turned on the road.
"Driving against the direction is criminal, but then you have to be able to prove intent. In this case, there is also roadwork going on, so the signage may be unclear," says Peter Ström, duty officer at the police.