THE heroic driver of a Virgin train that crashed 10 years ago today, killing a Glasgow grandmother, has admitted he still thinks about the disaster every day.

Iain Black, from Dumbarton, was praised for staying at the controls when the West Coast Main Line service from London Euston to Glasgow Central careered off the rails down an embankment in Grayrigg, Cumbria, on February 23, 2007.

Margaret Masson, 84, of Cardonald, died and 30 people were injured.

Glasgow Times:

Iain, 56, who made a phone call to his Virgin Trains manager girlfriend ordering her to stop all other trains on the line despite suffering a broken neck, was initially given just a 5% chance of survival but has gone on to make a good recovery.

Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson went to the scene and said he was a “hero”.

He said the crash happened on his first shift back at work after returning from holiday in Spain the previous day.

He said: “The train came off the road as we call it and went down the hill and I remember seeing trees appear and disappear and smash to pieces.

“When it came off the road I bounced into the ceiling and broke my neck. When the train landed I was unconscious for about a minute. After that I came round and didn’t realise the extent of the damage but I knew I had to stop other trains so I phoned my wife who is a train manager and she knew what to do.”

It took around two hours for emergency services to get into the cab to rescue Mr Black and he said he got through the experience by staying on the line to his wife Janice, who at the time was his girlfriend.

After being rescued he was airlifted to Royal Preston Hospital for treatment.

His neck was broken in three places and he had to wear a Halo Brace for several months, needing 24-hour care for six months.

Although he has made a good recovery and is a regular gym goer, he still has continual pain in his neck and the top three vertebrae of his neck have fused together leading to arthritis in the bottom three.

He said: “Every morning I wake up with a sore neck and when you get the pain you realise it  was caused by the crash. I think about it every day, it’s hard not to.”

Iain, who took early retirement, has kept a photo of the derailed train and the Virgin emblem from the front of the locomotive in his room.

The accident was the last passenger death in a train crash  and Iain added: “Safety has improved in the past 10 years though you cannot take your eye off the ball.”

Mr Black still keeps in touch with the paramedic who treated him, as well as with George Masson, one of Margaret’s three sons.

Martin Frobisher, route managing director for Network Rail, said: “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Margaret Masson, who tragically lost her life and with all those who were injured or affected by what happened.”