2013 Saltsjöbanan Train Crash

Background

On January 15th, 2013, a train plowed into a home in the outskirts of the Swedish capital, Stockholm. Apparently the train had been stolen by a 22-year-old cleaning lady who had then driven the train from it's station, a few kilometers away, and without being able to brake, crashed into a suburb building. No one was harmed besides the culprit who survived with injuries, as the rest of the train was empty, and the residents of the building were not present. The news made alot of swedes chuckle and memetic images soon emerged.

Notable Developments

Online Reaction

Though the accident was obviously initially broadcasted through various swedish news media, it didn't take long before the shares on facebook and twitter began. Due to other recent national tragedies (among them, a massive car pile-up that shook Sweden), the fact that nobody died in this whole incident is probably what made it so laughable. Some concern has been shown towards the family's house and their inconvenience, it has been made public that they were provided with hotel accommodations for the time being, until final repairs have been made.

Parodies

Few spin-off pictures or videos have been made, but one in particular was shared massively on social sites after the accident. The image simply displays the aftermath of the crash, and the slogan from a well known coffee producer and their slogan that can be translated to: "For when you get unexpected visitors". The usually romantic meaning of this slogan was probably what made the image so bizzarrely funny and thus, shared.