HISD teacher charged in connection with fatal car crash

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- An HISD special education teacher is out of jail on bond after being charged with intoxication manslaughter for his involvement in a deadly wreck on the Southwest Freeway.

Randy Carvajal, 38, was charged April 16th.

According to Houston police, Carvajal was behind the wheel of a Fiat that hit Necmettin Karaca, 25, as Karaca stood outside his vehicle on the Southwest Freeway near Newcastle.

Jadaisha McDowell was the last person to speak to Karaca.

"Yes, I have nightmares because of that," the 20-year-old told Eyewitness News.

McDowell says she ran into the back of Karaca's Mercedes around 1:15am. He got out of his car to see if she was okay. He shook her hand and asked if she was hurt. They were still in a moving lane of traffic and, within seconds, he was hit.

"My car was turning. As it was turning, I just heard screaming and a bunch of noise," said McDowell.

Carvajal is free from jail on bond. He was fired four days after the crash from his part-time job as a cheer coach at Biron Elite Cheer on the Katy Freeway because of a "code of conduct violation," according to gym president Patrick Biron.

Carvajal is still employed as a special education teacher at HISD's Crespo Elementary in southeast Houston. As of Monday night, his photograph was still on the school's website.

"As a teacher, he should know better. As an adult, he should know better not to be drinking and driving," said McDowell.

Mark Theissen, Carvajal's defense attorney, says he is still investigating and calls what happened "a tragic nightmare for everyone involved."

Karaca, who's from Turkey, attended McNeese State University in Louisiana, according to his Facebook page. His fraternity, Pi Kappa Phi, offered its "thoughts and prayers" on social media.

"It's just hard, thinking about it everyday. He could have killed the both of us," McDowell said.

Carvajal was arrested on the scene after police determined he was impaired. He is expected in court next month.