ONE man died and another was seriously injured in a North Yorkshire road accident.

The crash, which involved one car, took place on the A19 between Selby and Riccall, near to Riccall Mine.

It saw a high-powered Citroen Saxo VTR leave the road and hit a lamppost, after attempting to overtake another car.

The passenger was killed at the scene, while the Citroen's driver was rushed to York District Hospital with serious injuries.

Three appliances from North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue service were called to the accident, and used cutting equipment to free the two males from the wreckage.

They also used hand tools to clear the road and make the vehicle safe.

A small crowd of young people from nearby villages had gathered to watch the emergency services deal with the incident, but were kept at least a quarter of a mile away by the police cordon.

Police Sergeant George Winder said today: "The incident was on a straight section of road at Riccall. The Citroen overtook a Vauxhall Cavalier which was travelling in the same direction, and a third vehicle was seen to flash its headlights in response to the Citroen's actions.

"The Citroen then moved back to the near side of the road.

"However, it appears the Citroen's driver then lost control. The car left the road to its off side and collided with the lamppost."

At the scene, Traffic Sergeant Nigel Atkinson said: "The offside has collided with a street lamp, which has caused massive intrusion damage to the car."

Sgt Winder then said police are keen to speak to any driver in the area around the time of the incident.

"We would especially like to speak to the driver of the car which flashed its headlights at the Citroen while it was trying to overtake," he added.

The road was closed for about a mile shortly after 6.50pm last night, when the accident happened.

Traffic travelling towards York was diverted along the A163 Market Weighton road, while traffic travelling towards Selby was diverted through the villages of Riccall and Cawood.

The road eventually reopened at about 11pm.

Any witnesses are asked to ring York police on 01904 631321.

Updated: 09:21 Wednesday, November 21, 2001