Hart to blame for rail crash

PERHAPS the only way in which Gary Hart can cope with the knowledge of his role in the Selby rail crash is to tell himself that it was all down to fate, that it was some malign destiny which caused his Land Rover to plunge off the M62 motorway on to the East Coast main line that February morning 10 years ago.

But if that is the case, the best thing that Mr Hart could do is to keep his own counsel. For, as the relatives of the 10 people who died in the ensuing crash know only too well, it was not fate that caused this tragedy, but the actions of a foolish man who deliberately deprived himself of sleep before setting out on a 145-mile motorway journey.

It is entirely typical of Mr Hart, however, that he has chosen to speak out in this way on the very eve of the disaster’s anniversary, a time when the sensitivities of the victims’ families are at their rawest.

For not only has the man who caused the Selby rail crash always tried to deny any responsibility for the disaster, he has added insult to terrible injury with a series of arrogant statements, even implying during his trial that he was a special type of human being, who could easily cope with having very little sleep.

Ever since then, and in spite of serving a jail sentence for causing death by dangerous driving, Mr Hart has refused to apologise to victims’ relatives and has shown no remorse for his actions. His story, however, remains an instructive one. For anyone believing, as Mr Hart did, that driving while tired is acceptable or safe only has to look at the terrible consequences of his actions for the victims and their families who have been left to remember them 10 years on.