Judge orders American Isaac Calderon to be extradited back to Britain after fleeing to US when he crashed into a nurse leaving her unable to walk
An American soldier who allegedly crashed into a British nurse in the UK before fleeing to the US is set to be extradited.
Isaac Calderon, 23, was arrested in Houston, Texas last month, a year after he rammed into and seriously injured Elizabeth Donowho in Shucknall, Herefordshire.
Calderon had failed to appear before Kidderminster Magistrates Court on December 1, 2023, and it was later confirmed by police that he had left the UK on November 25, and flew to the US.
He had been undergoing a two-week training in Texas when the US Marshals apprehended him on an extradition warrant when he was arrested.
Appearing at a court in Houston in handcuffs and leg shackles last month, a judge said that the man had 'just up and left' the UL rather than face justice there.
Isac Calderon - US Serviceman who fled to Texas following road crash injuring Elizabeth Donowho who suffered several broken bones
Nurse Elizabeth Donowho close to the site of her car crash in Shucknall Hill, Herefordshire, where she suffered several broken bones
Photo of Donowho's injuries after Calderon rammed into her car last year
Calderon is accused of smashing head-on into Elizabeth Donowho, 56, near Shucknall in Herefordshire last July then fleeing to the US.
According to The Telegraph, Calderon claimed during his extradition hearing that he 'missed his court date not due to a desire to flee, but to his lack of funds', and that his only choice was to return to the US. He also reportedly has 'no money' to travel to his court appearance in the UK.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will now have the final say on his extradition.
Calderon is accused of overtaking multiple vehicles before the collision on the A4103 on July 31st last year.
West Mercia police issued an arrest warrant for him after he failed to appear for a court date to answer charges of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
Donowho, from Malvern, Worcestershire, said she was unable to walk for six weeks following the crash that left her with a fractured sternum and two broken ankles.
Calderon was living with his family in a suburb of the Texan city until his arrest earlier this week and faces extradition to the UK after a formal request from the British authorities.
In court filings in Texas, prosecutors said that Calderon admitted to vaping moments before the crash.
Calderon was thought to have been visiting an SAS base in Herefordshire at the time of the crash. In court, his occupation was given as 'American soldier'. Pictured: Image of military ID
He told West Mercia police his driving was 'definitely not safe' and agreed with a police officer's description of his conduct as dangerous, a transcript of the interview states.
Shown a video of the collision Calderon repeatedly said to police: 'S***'.
He also admitted he wasn't used to driving a manual gearbox - or British road signs - and that he just followed other drivers to know when he was supposed to stop.
Witnesses said he was doing 70mph in a 50mph zone and was overtaking multiple vehicles before the collision.
Calderon was thought to have been visiting an SAS base in Herefordshire at the time of the crash. In court, his occupation was given as 'American soldier'.
Donowho said she was left unable to walk for se
West Mercia police are said to have told Ms Donowho he was 'associated with the Secret Service'.
Following Calderon's arrest last month, Radd Seiger, a spokesman for Ms Donowho, said: 'We are very pleased to see that the long overdue legal proceedings to extradite Mr Calderon are now well and truly underway in Texas and we hope he will be back in our jurisdiction soon.
'We also note that Mr Calderon was arrested last weekend on his army base confirming that he is in active service for the US Government.
'That tallies with what West Mercia Police told Elizabeth that he was in the UK working for the US intelligence agencies and it also means that the US Embassy's public statement last year after Mr Calderon left that he was in the UK only as a private citizen appears to be a fabrication.'
