Crash on Laguna Canyon Road Kills Man, Injures Four Others : Accident: Police say one driver was chasing another on rain-slick highway after a dispute. Pursuing motorist’s son is critically hurt.

A South Gate man died Tuesday when a motorist chasing another car on Laguna Canyon Road at speeds of up to 80 m.p.h. plowed head-on into the victim’s pickup truck, police investigators said.

Police Sgt. Greg Bartz said Michael Henshall of Laguna Beach, who has a record for speeding and driving on a suspended license, allegedly was chasing another motorist on the wrong side of the road when his car collided with the truck driven by Eli Donis, killing the 25-year-old man instantly.

Four other people were injured, including two children identified as Henshall’s sons, Officer Robert Van Gorder said. One of the boys was listed in critical condition late Tuesday, hospital officials said.

“I’ve worked many accidents out here on the Laguna Canyon,” Van Gorder said. “And it’s always bad, every time somebody dies.”

Van Gorder said the accident occurred in the southbound lanes of the rain-slick highway about 6:40 a.m. about two miles north of El Toro Road. He said Henshall was traveling north in the south lane, chasing the driver of another car after the two apparently had a confrontation for unknown reasons.

The driver being chased saw Donis’ truck and swerved out of the way, Bartz said. Henshall, however, collided into Donis’ pickup, he said. The driver of the other car fled. Investigators are seeking that driver for questioning.

“It was raining, but rain wasn’t a big factor,” Van Gorder said. “The big factor was that the drivers were speeding down the wrong side of the road.”

The collision set off a chain-reaction involving two other cars. One car traveling north car hit a guardrail and overturned as the unidentified driver tried to skirt the accident. He was not injured, Van Gorder said.

After being hit by Henshall’s car, Donis’ pickup truck slid into a car driven by Michael O’Leary, 33, of Laguna Beach. He was treated for injuries to the lower back, neck and right shoulder at Saddleback Memorial Medical Center and released.

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Henshall was trapped in his car for about an hour as firefighters, using a hydraulic apparatus, cut through the top of his vehicle to free him, Van Gorder said.

“The front end of his car collapsed and compressed into the driver,” Van Gorder said. “His legs were stuck and his chest was pushed against the steering wheel.”

Henshall suffered a fractured shoulder, dislocated hip and abrasions. He was listed in fair condition after surgery at Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center. He was not cited by police, pending completion of an investigation, Van Gorder said.

“He was wearing a seat belt and the air bag was activated,” Van Gorder said. “I’m convinced that’s what saved him.”

Henshall’s 6-year-old son, Jonah, suffered severe head injuries and was listed in critical condition at Children’s Hospital at Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center. Henshall’s other child, Sean, 8, was treated and released at the same hospital. Sean was wearing a seat belt while Jonah was not, Van Gorder said.

A woman who identified herself only as Henshall’s mother said in a telephone interview: “They were all going away to Vegas for a vacation--there’s a new family thing for children there.”

The woman said she and her family had suffered through the Laguna Beach fire last year and did not want to talk about the accident.

Donis’ family could not be reached for comment.

According to the Department of Motor Vehicles, Henshall has been cited three times for speeding since March, 1993. In September, 1992, he was convicted of driving with a suspended license, according to records from Municipal Court in Laguna Niguel. Henshall received a suspended sentence, according to a court spokeswoman. The reason for his license suspension was not immediately available.

Donis’ death marks the second fatal accident on Laguna Canyon Road this year and the 25th in the past 10 years, according to statistics from the California Department of Transportation. Last September, a 33-year-old man from Orange died when his car veered off Laguna Canyon Road about two miles from the site of Tuesday’s crash.

The number of injuries and fatalities on Laguna Canyon Road is about twice the average rate on other state highways, according to statistics from the county’s Environmental Management Agency.

Because of the number of accidents, the Board of Supervisors decided last month to widen 4.8 miles of the highway, from El Toro Road to the San Diego Freeway. If the plan is approved by Caltrans, the scenic roadway will be realigned and expanded to four lanes.

Times correspondent Frank Messina and staff writer Anna Cekola contributed to this report.