Attorney: Man 'In Shock' After Fatal Pedestrian Crash

POSTED: Thursday, June 30, 2011

UPDATED: 6:19 pm CDT June 30, 2011

HOUSTON -- A man accused of driving drunk, hitting a pedestrian with his car and then driving for three miles with the pedestrian's dismembered body in his passenger's seat is in shock over what happened, his attorney said Thursday. Houston police said James Onak, 49, hit Fadel Steadman, 32, on the Gulf Freeway near Fuqua Street about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday.Detectives said Steadman's body went through the windshield of Onak's Mazda 626 and ended up in the front passenger seat. Onak kept going and did not stop until a deputy constable pulled him over more than three miles away from the scene, police said.Steadman's vehicle had broken down on the freeway, investigators said.Onak's attorney said his client is still reeling from the fatal crash."He really is torn up about the accident. His heart, his family -- they're really saddened by what happened to the Steadman family," attorney Stanley Schneider said.Onak is an accountant, married and the father of three. He has no previous criminal history.Investigators said Onak said he thought he hit something, but he did not notice the body next to him."One thing I don't understand is how do you not know you have a body in the passenger seat of your car? How drunk was you?" said Toni Steadman, the victim's mother."Often times, bad things happen to good people, and accidents happen and it was an unfortunate accident that occurred," Schneider said.Schneider would not discuss the details of the case and said the whole story will come out in court.He said Onak's family is trying to deal with the shock of Steadman's death and the media scrutiny that has followed."They were in shock about the accident. They were in shock about what happened. They were in shock about the death. The feeling of sorrow for the man that died. Reporters should show respect for the man who died and coming over and banging on the door trying to get a story doesn't help anybody," Schneider said.Onak faces a misdemeanor DWI charge and a felony charge for accident involving an injury. He has been released from jail on bond.He will appear in court on Friday morning for an arraignment.

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