An Oxfordshire woman who was badly injured in the Paddington Rail disaster three years ago is suing for damages.

In a writ issued at London's High Court, Ursula Querino claims she has spent months having counselling after suffering serious psychiatric injuries in the crash outside Paddington station in October 1999.

Now she is bringing action against Thames Trains and Railtrack plc, seeking damages in excess of the High Court minimum of £50,000. The writ states Ms Querino, of Finham Brook, Didcot could not go back to work for about 18 months following the crash, and now works part time.

Ms Querino was a passenger on the high-speed Cheltenham train which collided head-on with a Thames Trains engine driven by Michael Hodder, who passed through a red light and went on to the wrong track shortly before the collision in which he and 30 other people died.

According to the writ, she blames both companies' negligence for her injuries, and said Hodder, among other things, failed to notice the red light.

She claims Railtrack failed to adequately respond to the number of signals passed at danger in the area, failed to carry out a proper risk assessment into the Paddington layout and the gantry of the signal involved in the crash, and failed to heed earlier warnings of the dangers of Paddington signals.

Signallers at Slough central control centre are also blamed for their part.

No date has yet been fixed for a hearing of the case.