Paddington crash survivors to marry

Two survivors of the Paddington train disaster will marry on St Valentine's Day tomorrow.

Janet Vaughan and Tony Jasper met for the first time after the crash, when they joined the Paddington Survivors Group.

They were both on the Great Western Express four years ago when it collided with another train three miles outside Paddington, killing 31 people.

Mr Jasper said today: "We both suffered cuts and bruises from the crash, but what was more serious was the post-traumatic stress. We have both suffered badly from this. What has made life a lot easier is that because we recognise the symptoms, we have been able to help each other. Our marriage is the one good thing to come from that day."

The couple, both aged 52, will marry at Reading Register Office.

They met when the survivors' group, which campaigns for greater rail safety, chartered a coach to take people too terrified to travel by train to Lord Cullen's inquiry into the tragedy, at the Central Methodist Hall in Westminster-"Jan was in one row of seats with me in front, and we got chatting," said Mr Jasper. "The Central Methodist Hall is a beautiful building and I showed her around. We kept in touch and romance blossomed a year or two later."

Speaking about the crash, he said: "I realised that we were coming off the rails. I have travelled the world as an engineer and it makes you very safety-conscious.

"I threw myself to the floor of the carriage and assumed the crash position. For those few secondsit was bizarre, with me lying among the handbags and luggage, but it undoubtedly saved me from worse physical injury."

The crash happened after Thames Trains driver Michael Hodder passed through signal 109 at red. A public inquiry failed to pinpoint exactly why Mr Hodder, who was among the dead, went through the signal at danger. Industry experts doubt the reason will ever be known.

In his summing-up Lord Cullen emphasised that the driver was not solely to blame and that there were other contributory causes.