A sad and pointless Texas drunk driving accident had a bizarre ending this week. A man, seemingly intoxicated, hit and killed a pedestrian on Interstate 45 in Houston around 12:30 a.m. on Monday. The man then drove miles with the body in his car before being stopped by police.

49-year-old James Onak was driving on I-45 in southeast Houston when his black Mazda hit a pedestrian on the side of the freeway. The 32-year-old victim, whose name has not been released, was walking to a nearby gas station after his car broke down.

One of the victim’s legs was severed by the force of the crash, while the rest of the body went through the windshield. It landed under the dashboard, in front of the passenger side seat.
Onak apparently did not notice the body and kept driving.

Three miles down the highway, Onak was pulled over by a Harris County Precinct 8 deputy constable who saw heavy damage on his vehicle. Onak, who appeared nervous, was aware he hit something but did not know it was a person.

The deputy also didn’t recognize the body for some time. “It wasn’t until the driver stepped out that the deputy could see what had happened,” Capt. Jason Finnen, with the constable’s office, said. “Because of the impact, the body was positioned up under the dashboard on the passenger’s side floorboard.”

The deputy sent another unit back to the original scene of the accident, where they found the victim’s severed leg and Onak’s license plate. The victim was declared dead at the scene of the pullover.

Onak has been charged with failure to stop and render aid in a fatality, a felony, as well as driving while intoxicated. The felony charge carries a prison sentence of up to ten years.

We are saddened and sickened by this horrific crash caused by a negligent driver. We hope that Onak is prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Our sympathies go out to the family of the deceased.