Man extradited from US jailed for causing crash

Isac Calderon was extradited from the US more than a year after the crash

A man who fled to the US after a crash that left a nurse unable to walk has been jailed.

Isac Calderon, 23, was extradited to the UK last month and admitted hitting Elizabeth Donowho's car near Shucknall, in Herefordshire, in July 2023.

She was left with multiple fractures, including breaks in both ankles, her right hand and sternum.

Calderon left the UK on a commercial flight to Texas on 25 November ahead of a scheduled UK court hearing. He was jailed for 32 months at Worcester Crown Court on Thursday.

During sentencing, Judge Martin Jackson described his actions as "appalling".

He added: "It was the sort of driving one expects from arrogant, young boy racers."

The judge, who also handed Calderon a two-year driving ban to be served after his release, reflected that the 23-year-old was an inexperienced driver who had only held a licence for a year.

He told Calderon he "had not actually taken the trouble" to familiarise himself "with solid white lines and what they mean".

Dashcam footage played in court showed Calderon losing control of his Honda Accord after making a high-speed overtaking move, crashing head on into the Mercedes being driven by Ms Donowho.

Judge Jackson said he had only bought the car seven days earlier and had "not taken the trouble to make sure that it carried insurance".

Elizabeth Donowho was left unable to walk after the crash

Turning to Calderon's flight to the US, Judge Jackson said: "It is troubling that instead of attending at that first [magistrates' court] date you chose to to return to America rather than face the music."

Ms Donowho's lawyer Radd Seiger said the sentencing was a huge relief for his client as her "campaign for justice has succeeded and that this wrong has now been righted".

Jennifer Winzor from the Crown Prosecution Service said the CPS worked closely with US authorities to ensure the successful extradition.

"Those who commit offences in the UK cannot simply expect to walk away without accountability, and Calderon has now been brought to justice in a UK court where he has been sentenced for his crime," she said.

The case has drawn comparisons with that of motorcyclist Harry Dunn, who died after his bike was hit by a car driven on the wrong side of the road by Anne Sacoolas in August 2019.

She was able to leave the UK when diplomatic immunity was asserted on her behalf by the US government, but was eventually given a suspended sentence when she appeared in court via video link.

Elizabeth Donowho broke both of her ankles in the crash, as well as suffering a fractured sternum and a broken bone in her hand

West Mercia Police Ch Supt Gareth Morris said while he was pleased with the sentence, he acknowledged the "frustrations at the time this has taken".

The force faced criticism for its handling of the Calderon case, after the suspect fled the country.

"As has already been stated, Mr Calderon was not arrested at the scene following the incident as he required hospital treatment," Ch Supt Morris said.

"The police do not have a general power to seize a person's passport and the criteria to do so was not met at the time."