A US soldier who fled the UK after an accident that left a nurse unable to walk has admitted to vaping before the collision.
Isaac Calderon, 23, also said driving was “definitely not safe” before the collision that left Elizabeth Donowho with fractures in both ankles, sternum and hand.
Court documents filed in Texas as part of a extradition request claims that when West Mercia Police showed Mr Calderon dash cam footage of the incident, he responded: “Shit.”
He later asked an officer to tell Ms Donowho that he was “very sorry” and that he had been “vaping in the car”.
Mystery surrounds exactly who Calderon was working for after police told Donowho he had been visiting the British Special Forces (SAS) base in Herefordshire when the crash occurred nearby last summer.
The documents include a copy of Mr. Calderon’s U.S. “Uniformed Services” identification card, but he said he was traveling for “personal activities” at the time of the accident.
Isaac Calderón’s ‘Uniformed Services’ Card
He also claimed that “several witnesses” saw him overtaking several vehicles at speed before the collision on the A4103 at Shucknall, Herefordshire, on July 31 last year.
He failed to appear before Kidderminster magistrates last November charged with causing serious injury by dangerous driving and a warrant was issued for his arrest in December, but he had already flown back to the United States.
Some of Mrs Donowho’s injuries after the accident
Tracked to his parents’ home in Texas
Sky News tracked him down at his parents’ home in Humble, Texas. His father, Manuel, insisted that he had been in the UK on a work visa, where he worked in a warehouse, and that the situation had been “disproportionate”.
His son has been labeled a “fugitive,” and the case has been compared to that of Anne Sacoolasthe American spy who left the United Kingdom after killing a teenager Harry Dunn in an accident in Northamptonshire in 2019.
In a GoFundMe page To raise money for legal costs, he referred to his son working as a contractor in the United Kingdom “due to his security clearance with the Texas National Guard.” She said they had been “contacted by the FBI” who were “talking about extradition.”
Mr. Calderón’s parents’ house in Humble, Texas.
Read more from Sky News
UK ‘failed’ by government on COVID
Degrading Police Strip Searches Uncovered in Report
The man who caused the accident left his girlfriend dying
Isaac Calderon was arrested last week in the US and, according to court documents, was “not at all” familiar with British road markings and traffic indications.
He did not know what solid white lines were on a road marking a no-passing zone and was driving a manual vehicle with which he had “no prior experience”.
He is expected to appear again before a judge in Houston, Texas, on Friday.
Radd Seiger, who helped Harry Dunn’s family in their fight for justice and advises Elizabeth Donowho, said: “It is important to remember that Mr. Calderon is innocent of any charge until proven guilty and that he is entitled to a fair trial”. which he will absolutely get when he returns to the UK.
“That said, it has been almost a year since Elizabeth suffered life-changing injuries following this accident and she hopes that the issue of Mr. Calderon’s extradition will be resolved quickly.”
This story originally appeared on News.sky.com read the full story
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25570968/Pixel_Google_Aug13_Live_Blog_The_Verge_084.JPG?w=300&resize=300,300&ssl=1 "Live coverage of the Google Pixel 9 launch event: all the news and products"){kind=tracking}
