On Wednesday 15 June, a serious traffic accident was reported in Troms where a truck had run off the road.
“There has been a traffic accident on Rolla. Fire and ambulance work on site. The police are on call to the scene. A truck with an excavator on it must have run into the ditch. The driver of the truck is injured. Recently released. The extent of the damage is unknown “, the police wrote on Twitter at 09.15 that day.
In retrospect, it became clear that it was the truck driver Nico Åland (30) who had been seriously injured. Now, three weeks later, he tells Dagbladet that he is finally on the road to recovery.
Motorcyclist swallowed by sinkholes
– Now I have the stairs down on painkillers, so then it is at least possible to talk to me, he says grinning over the phone to Dagbladet.
It was Northern Lights who first mentioned the case.
Get rid of claustrophobia
It started as a completely ordinary working day for Åland. He had been commissioned to drive to Fuglebergan to deliver an excavator. This is a stretch he is well used to through ten years as a professional driver.
But already after a few kilometers it went wrong. When Åland reached Rolla, he suddenly ended up in the ditch, and he still does not know what caused the accident.
As a result of the accident, Åland lost consciousness. The last thing he remembers is that the post at the windshield curled up against him and that he was stuck in the truck.
CLAMPED: This is what the truck looked like after Åland had driven off the road. Photo: Private
sea view
– Actually, I have a mild form of claustrophobia, but when I got stuck it was completely gone. I also did not feel any pain due to the high adrenaline level, says Åland.
Air ambulance to Tromsø
One of the first to spot the accident was the father of Åland’s boss, who was in the car just behind.
– I ran to the truck to help. I got in the truck to get in touch with him, and eventually got an answer when I tried to talk to him. At the same time, I got a neighbor who had heard the bang to call the emergency services, says Odd Ivar Paulsen.
Only a few minutes later, the emergency services were in place. They pulled Åland out of the vehicle and transported him by air ambulance to the University Hospital in Tromsø.
EMERGENCY AUTHORITIES: The emergency services in place at the accident site. Photo: Private
sea view
41 stitches and neck fractures
When Åland arrived at the hospital, he waited for a stay in the intensive care unit, and two days with what he describes as a hell of pain while he waited for the head to be sewn.
He had to sew a total of 41 stitches and get a headrest for a neck fracture.
– It was the worst days of my life, he says.
However, the traumatic event has led to Åland gaining a new perspective on life.
41 STITCHES: Åland had to sew 41 stitches after the accident. Photo: Private
sea view
– It’s going well now, but every morning when I wake up, I can not believe that I am alive, he says to Nordlys, while he elaborates to Dagbladet:
– When I was stuck and felt that the blood flowed out, I was sure that this was the last thing I was going to do. It is difficult to return to an ordinary life after that.
Although Åland escaped with the horror, he notices some repercussions after the accident.
– Sometimes I am dragged straight back to the accident when I sleep. Today I woke up wandering around to get rid of wreckage even though I was at home in my own bed. In reality, I had just turned on the bedside table.
