A US soldier who fled the UK after ploughing into a nurse while on the wrong side of the road has confessed he was vaping before the smash.
Intelligence officer Isac Calderon, 23 – who mowed down Elizabeth Donowho, 56 – also admitted his driving was “definitely not safe”.
Court documents filed in Texas show that Calderon also admitted he was not used to using a manual gearbox and did not understand British road signs before the crash that left Ms Donowho unable to walk for six weeks.
And when he was shown a video of the collision Calderon – reportedly a US spy – repeatedly said to West Mercia police: ‘S***’.
He later asked cops to say he was “really sorry” to the nurse.
Calderon also admitted to police: “I was vaping in the car.”
Witnesses said he was doing 70mph in a 50mph zone and was overtaking multiple vehicles before the collision on the A4103 near Shucknall in Herefordshire last July.
Calderon was due to appear at Kidderminster Magistrates’ Court on December 1 but had already fled to the US on a flight to Houston.
West Mercia police issued an arrest warrant for Calderon after he failed to appear for the court date to answer charges of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
Calderon – living with family in a Houston suburb – was arrested last week, a year after the collision.
He now faces extradition to the UK after a formal request from the British authorities.
According to US court documents, witness Emily McDermot said she saw Calderon driving at 70mph in a 50mph zone in his silver Honda Accord moments before the crash.
When stopped by cops, Calderon repeatedly said “s**t” and was told he was lucky Ms Donowho was not dead.
He confessed he got “mixed up on the signs all the time” and admitted not having insurance.
Calderon is expected to appear again before a judge in Houston, Texas on Friday.
Mental health nurse Ms Donowho, from Malvern, Worcestershire suffered multiple fractures including to both ankles and her right hand.
Her spokesman has previously said: “We look forward to Mr Calderon being returned to the UK so he can face our justice system.”
Elizabeth’s case echoes that of Harry Dunn, 19, who a US diplomat’s wife killed in a fatal head-on smash in 2019.
Anne Sacoolas collided with the 19-year-old’s motorbike as she drove on the wrong side of the road for 350m after leaving RAF Croughton.
The government employee was granted diplomatic immunity after the deadly crash and fled to the States.
In December 2022, US citizen Sacoolas was finally given a suspended jail term for causing the death of Brit Dunn by careless driving following an extradition row.
ELIZABETH'S case echoes that of Harry Dunn, 19, who was killed by a US diplomat's wife in a head-on crash.
US spy Anne Sacoolas, 46, was driving on the wrong side of the road in her Volvo when she hit Harry’s Kawasaki head-on.
Harry suffered devastating fractures to all four limbs, his pelvis and his ribs after being flung from his motorcycle – leading to catastrophic blood loss.
It was revealed Harry died “as a result of severe injuries he sustained during a head-on collision with a vehicle driven on the incorrect side of the road”.
Anne then fled the UK and never returned, claiming diplomatic immunity.
She issued three Prevention of Future Deaths notices — one of which related to the lack of training given to Sacoolas for driving in the UK.
The mother of two had been based at RAF Croughton, Northants, at the time of the August 2019 crash.
She failed to return to Britain to be sentenced for causing death by careless driving and did not attend the inquest at Northamptonshire coroner’s court.
Harry’s mum Charlotte Charles said the snub was “totally disrespectful” to Harry’s memory.
Family spokesman Radd Seiger said of the US government: “It was not enough for them to kill Harry.
“It wasn’t enough for them to then kick Harry’s family in their darkest hour and seek to deny and delay the justice that they were entitled to.
“Their attitude and approach to keeping their British hosts safe has been laid bare and they have positively obstructed the coroner’s inquiry and deprived the family of the answers they were entitled to.”
