US man fled to America after leaving NHS nurse unable to walk in horror 'boy racer' crash

A US national who fled the UK after leaving an NHS nurse unable to walk has been locked up over the horror crash. Texas-born Isac Calderon was behind the wheel of a Honda Accord he had bought just one week earlier when he hurtled into Elizabeth Donowho's Mercedes.

The victim was making her way home after a hospital shift when 'erratic' Calderon lost control of his car along a 'winding' stretch of a busy route. Witnesses later recalled how they had feared someone would be killed when they spotted the 23-year-old's dangerous driving moments before impact.

Despite confessing to police his driving was 'definitely not safe', Calderon skipped his court appearance and escaped to America. But when police urged him to return to Britain and face justice, he said he could not afford the flight.

READ MORE: Liam Payne's body to return to the UK after being released to family

Don't miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the BirminghamLive newsletter here.

The convict then had to be extradited to the UK - at the taxpayers' expense. He was today (Thursday, November 7) sentenced, more than one year after the collision.

Calderon - who had no previous convictions - admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving and was jailed for 32 months. It is understood that he will be flown to the US once he serves his sentence - funded by the UK.

The defendant, of East Maine Street, Humble, Texas, was also banned from driving for three years and one month.

Worcester Crown Court heard how the crash took place on the A4103, near Shucknall, just after 7.50pm on July 31, 2023. There had been drizzle and rain which meant the road was wet, prosecutor Simon Phillips said.

Witnesses recalled spotting the defendant 'narrowly avoiding oncoming traffic' as he overtook other motorists in his silver Honda Accord. He was said to have been travelling at about 60mph in the 50mph zone.

One driver described Calderon as 'erratic' and claimed he was 'putting other road users in danger'. They recalled thinking at the time: "He is going to be killed himself or someone else."

Mr Phillips added: "He was overtaking vehicles dangerously prior to the collision, driving at speed, contravening the solid white line system." Calderon - who was heading towards Hereford - followed an Audi, which was behind a white van.

Dashcam footage from the front and rear of the van showed the Audi successfully overtaking it. The defendant then overtook the van but lost control on a 'sharp' right-hand bend.

He overcorrected before colliding with the Mercedes, driven by the victim in the opposite direction. The Honda ended up on its side in a hedge, while the grey Mercedes was left in the carriageway.

Both vehicles were 'extensively damaged', the court was told. Members of the public helped pull Calderon from his car before he was taken to Hereford hospital, where he was treated for a broken humerus - a bone in the upper arm - and concussion.

Ms Donowho lost consciousness at the moment of impact but soon came to and managed to get out of her vehicle. But she 'quickly realised' she was badly injured and was taken to hospital by paramedics.

She suffered two broken ankles, a broken sternum and fractured her hand. One of her ankles required surgery involving metal plates and pins.

The 56-year-old - who was working as a freelance NHS mental health nurse at Hereford hospital at the time - has since 'struggled to come to terms with the consequences of the collision'. She was 'independent and active' before the crash but needed carers to support her twice a day following the ordeal.

Ms Donowho has also had difficulty sleeping, while her mental health has been affected and she suffers with mobility issues. Mr Phillips added: "She has told me today that she still does not know if she will ever return to work."

In interview with police, Calderon said he bought the Honda from a friend a week before the crash. When asked if the car was insured, he said he "did not know".

He claimed he could not remember the collision but insisted he was driving 'on or about the speed limit'. The defendant told police he had been 'playing follow the leader' while driving and was 'shocked' by footage of the crash.

Mr Phillips said: "He said he would not have described his driving as dangerous but looking at the footage, he said he had no other way to describe it." Calderon also admitted his driving was 'definitely not safe'.

The convict - who had been in the UK since March 2023 - told police he was due to remain in Britain for work until March 2024. A postal requisition was sent to him on October 16, 2023, requiring him to appear before magistrates on December 1, 2023.

But he returned to the US and missed the hearing, with a bench warrant for his arrest issued. His information was then circulated by INTERPOL before he was remanded in a US jail on July 14, 2024.

Calderon's extradition was ordered following a hearing at a court in Texas on July 29 and he was flown back to the UK on October 10. Jason Patel, defending, said Calderon wrote a letter to the court in which he took 'full responsibility for his actions' and blamed his 'lack of caution'.

He wrote: "Forevermore I would like to apologise to Ms Donowho for my actions and injuries that were subsequently caused. I'm sorry that she incurred injuries due to my stupidity."

The convict came to the UK to work as an interpreter for an American company based in Peterborough. He sent money back to his wife, who remains in Texas, and also to his parents.

Mr Patel said: "The wages that he would have earned were more significant than anything he could have earned in the States. He was the only one who was really earning anything of significance."

'Gamer' Calderon was driving from Huntingdon to Hereford to meet a friend he had met online through his hobby when the crash happened. Mr Patel said the defendant was asked to return to work one month after the collision and then had to pay £100 a day in taxis - which he 'could not afford'.

But he was sacked 'instantly' once bosses found out about the collision. The dangerous driver - who donned a beaded cross necklace during the hearing - also lost his accommodation, Mr Patel said.

Calderon contacted the courts service to ask for help so he could attend the magistrates' hearing but was told 'that was for him to arrange'. Mr Patel added: "He was left homeless. The only thing he had as part of his contract was that the company would pay for a flight home.

"His family has no money, it was he who funded them. They could not send him anything to get him to court. Wrongly, he took that decision to go home.

"He went back but stayed in contact with police here and American authorities. They knew exactly where he was."

But Mr Phillips claimed that it was police who reached out to Calderon in an attempt to persuade him to return to the UK. The prosecutor added: "Calderon did not do so voluntarily. He could not afford to fly."

Sentencing, Judge Jackson said Calderon had held a US driving licence for 'no more than one year' before the collision. He said: "You were therefore, on any account, an inexperienced driver."

He branded the defendant's driving as 'appalling', adding: "It was the sort of driving one expects from arrogant boy racers - those who think that because they have a car, they can treat the road like a personal race track."