'Distraught' crash driver in hiding

Police inspect the wreckage of the Land Rover

GREAT HECK, England -- The motorist involved in the freak accident that sparked the Selby rail crash was inconsolable and in hiding on Thursday, police said.

Gary Hart, 36, was said to be at a secret address with friends as he tried to come to terms with his role in the disaster.

"He's obviously quite distraught. We were looking after him last night," said British Transport police spokesman Tony Thompson.

Hart was questioned by police after Wednesday's accident in which his Land Rover careered onto the main east coast rail line and caused a collision between two trains, which left 13 people dead and 70 injured.

He called the emergency services on his mobile phone to warn them his vehicle was on the tracks but could only watch as, seconds later, a high-speed passenger service ploughed into it and went on to hit a freight train travelling in the opposite direction.

REFERENCE Selby Train Crash   •  Collision map   •  Motorist's 999 call   •  'Like a bomb'   •  Emergency response   •  The day in quotes   •  Official reaction   •  Blow to UK railroads   •  Rail company statement   •  UK rail crash timeline

Hart's mother Margaret was quoted in Britain's Sun newspaper saying she hoped people would not blame him for causing Britain's fourth fatal rail crash in as many years.

"It is just such a terrible chain of events -- it could have happened to anyone," she said.

"If it had been a few seconds either way, none of this would have happened. It's a terrible coincidence that Gary's Land Rover landed on the track just as the express was coming along."

His stepfather said on Thursday that Hart was "inconsolable with grief".

Martyn Taylor, from Withern in Lincolnshire, eastern England, said he had spoken to Hart since the disaster and added: "He can't comprehend what has happened. How could you?

"We are trying to cope but to see all those people killed in that way... a film director couldn't make it up."

Hart, a builder, was towing a car on a trailer behind his Land Rover on the west-bound carriage of the M62 motorway when the accident happened. Hart told police one of his tyres had blown out.

The Land Rover and trailer slid down an embankment on to the line yards before the start of safety barriers, put up to prevent just such an accident.

Thompson said Hart was unlikely to face further interviews on Thursday.

He was breath-tested for alcohol as part of standard police procedure but results of the test have not been made public.

Darren Maltby, 26, a friend of Gary Hart, said he was "one of those people who would do anything for you."

Maltby told reporters: "He's known around here for his generosity and willingness to help out others.

"He's a very gentle man and this is something that will haunt him forever."

Reuters contributed to this report.

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