An American who fled the United Kingdom for the United States after allegedly causing an accident that left a nurse unable to walk may be extradited back to the U.K. for a court appearance on the matter, The Telegraph reported.
Isaac Calderon of Texas was arrested last month by local authorities about one year after he allegedly drove into nurse Elizabeth Donowho in the town of Shucknall in Herefordshire, leaving her with multiple fractured bones including both of her ankles.
According to court documents filed as part of the extradition request in Texas, West Mercia Police showed Calderon dashcam footage of the collision to which he replied by saying an expletive and telling the victim that he was "really sorry" and admitting that he had been "vaping in the car" prior to the incident. In addition, the court documents state that multiple witnesses told authorities that Calderon was driving at a high speed and overtaking multiple vehicles just before the crash.
Although Calderon was ordered to appear before magistrates in November on charges of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, he left the country before then and returned to America.
When contacted by Sky News, Calderon's father said the crash was being "blown out of proportion." He said his son had been working in the U.K. at a warehouse at the time of the incident.
Court documents state that Calderon provided a U.S. "Uniformed Services" identification card and that he was traveling in the area for "personal activities," but police told Donowho that Calderon had been in Herefordshire to visit a British special forces base.
The court documents state that Calderon claimed he "missed his court date not due to a desire to flee, but to his lack of funds," saying that "his only choice was to return to the United States or else be homeless in the U.K."
Calderon also claims that he currently "has no money" to travel to the U.K. for his court appearance and "simply hopes" that he will be transferred "for free" by the U.S.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken must sign off on the extradition agreement before Calderon can be brought back to the U.K., although the West Mercia Police are requesting an urgent return for his court appearance.