American driver 'flees UK' after leaving woman paralysed in crash near SAS base

11 December 2023 , 10:41

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Elizabeth Donowho in the aftermath of the attack (Image: PA)

An American driver is set to be deported after paralysing a British nurse and then fleeing the country.

Police say Isaac Calderon, 22, had been visiting a British special forces base (SAS) near Hereford when he struck Elizabeth Donowho, 56, in a car crash near Shucknall in Herefordshire on 31 July. Elizabeth, from Malvern in Worcestershire, broke both of her ankles in the collision and was also left with a fractured sternum and a broken bone in her hand. She was unable to walk for six weeks following the collision. Calderon was charged with causing injury by dangerous driving but failed to turn up at Kidderminster Magistrates Court on December 1.

Little is known about the man who is now thought to have fled the country, with the Hereford Times reporting that his occupation was given as "American soldier" in court. A first-instance warrant has now been issued after he did not attend the hearing. The first instance warrant issued by the court means that police can arrest Calderon and he cannot leave the country via an airport.

She suffered several broken bones after the attack (PA)

Elizabeth told Sky News: "I was told that he was visiting somebody at the SAS in Hereford. So there was something like 'so you can understand the nature of the other driver's work in this country, bearing in mind he was visiting the SAS'. It was later on that they confirmed [to me] that he has been working for the US intelligence services, I think they said secret services." However, a spokesperson for West Mercia Police said they were unaware of any connection to the SAS base in Hereford, but they understood Calderon was in the country on a "work visa".

At the hearing, according to the Hereford Times, Elizabeth said: "I just feel very concerned that he may have returned to the States." The judge responded: "There was nothing stopping him from going before because he wasn’t on bail, but there is now. There are treaties between the UK and US that enable extradition if he has gone to the US. Authorities in this country may pursue that."

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Elizabeth said she was "assured" by police that the defendant would turn up to court, as British and American military police had been working together on the matter. She said they cited the case of Anne Sacoolas as the reason for this because "they realised that the other driver was a flight risk." In 2019, Sacoolas, a US spy, left the UK claiming diplomatic immunity after she was involved in a crash that killed British teenager Harry Dunn outside an RAF base in Northamptonshire.

Sky News understands that Calderon left the UK for the US on 25 November on a commercial flight to Houston, Texas. A spokesperson for the British government said: "We are concerned at reports that Issac Calderon has failed to appear in court to answer charges. The Crown Prosecution Service are considering next steps." A spokesperson for the US Embassy said: "As a general matter, we do not comment on ongoing litigation in cases involving US citizens."

Rachel Hagan