Driver sued over UK rail crash

Ten people died in the Selby train crash

LONDON, England -- A British motorist whose vehicle crashed into the path of an oncoming train after he fell asleep at the wheel is being sued for £11 million ($15.7 million).

The legal action is being brought by Railtrack, the company that operates Britain's railway infrastructure, against Gary Hart.

Hart, 37, is currently serving a five-year jail term after being found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving following the crash last year in which 10 people died and 76 were injured.

His trial heard he fell asleep at the wheel of his Land Rover, which careered off the M62 near Selby, North Yorkshire, and into the path of a Great North Eastern Railways (GNER) train, in February 2001.

After hitting Hart's vehicle and trailer, the GNER Newcastle-to-London service was derailed, and smashed into a fully-laden freight train travelling in the opposite direction.

On Friday, it was revealed that Railtrack has issued a High Court writ for compensation for damage and lost business because of his negligence.

A Railtrack spokesman said that although the writ was served in Hart's name, the claim would be settled between insurance companies.

"The writ was served on March 28," he told the Press Association.

"It's an insurance procedure. Our insurers are seeking to recoup the costs of the accident from Gary Hart's insurers.

"We had the biggest costs because we footed the bill for the clean-up operation, repairing the track and so on. In terms of car insurance, it's probably the biggest claim we have come across."

It is believed GNER is also looking to recover losses as a result of the crash.

Hart was insured with the Fortis Insurance company -- part of the international Fortis group.

Immediately after the crash, Fortis Insurance said it had arrangements in place which provided protection against major incidents such as Selby.

The company said it expected the total cost of claims to run into tens of millions of pounds and that the cost would "not impact the solvency of the company or its ability to meet future liabilities."