Sudden ‘Storm’ Shatters Family’s Life

They felt the brick before they saw it.

Juan Donis, 31, was driving on the San Diego Freeway early Wednesday chatting with his 5-year-old son, Bryan, about fishing. As they talked, the boy snuggled against his mother, fighting sleep during the long drive back to Laguna Niguel after dropping off a relative at Los Angeles International Airport.

“He was lying on my shoulder and was falling asleep, and I just felt this storm,” said the boy’s mother, Jeanette Donis, 30.

The “storm” was a 5-pound paving stone that crashed through the windshield of the family’s pickup truck and hit Bryan in the face, fracturing his skull in at least two places.

The boy was in critical condition Thursday at the pediatric intensive care unit of UCI Medical Center in Orange, while California Highway Patrol investigators tried to discover who threw the brick from the McFadden Avenue overpass in Huntington Beach.

Investigators ruled out the possibility that the brick fell from the overpass itself or a passing vehicle. They said they had found no nearby construction sites with similar stones. CHP Officer Denise Medina described the object as a “prefabricated concrete paver,” the sort often used in making brick patios.

She said investigators believe it was thrown from the McFadden overpass and not heaved over the sound wall beside the freeway.

“We have had several calls, and we’re looking into every angle that we can get,” she said. “I don’t know how promising they are.”

In a coincidental twist, Bryan was being treated near another boy who suffered severe head and internal injuries when a hit-and-run driver knocked him from his bicycle two weeks ago in Huntington Beach. Trevor Schulte, 12, remained unconscious and in critical condition Thursday as doctors are gradually bringing him out of a coma induced to limit swelling of his brain.

Judy Schulte, Trevor’s mother, said watching the Donises brought back the indescribable heartache of watching her son’s initial struggle for life.

“It’s been like one long day,” she said. “You don’t think about anything else.”

On Thursday, Bryan’s relatives held vigil at the hospital, hoping and praying that the boy could overcome his grave injuries.

“For someone his age, he’s very gentle and caring,” said Jeanette Donis, who suffered a broken arm in the incident. She described her son as an energetic boy with passions for swimming and playing baseball.

His father, a newspaper carrier for the Orange County Register, said it took him a few moments in the darkened truck to realize how serious his son’s injuries were.

“At first it didn’t look like anything,” Juan Donis said. “Then I realized after I saw the blood that the rock hit his head. He was choking on his blood.”

He drove frantically past two exits looking for a hospital sign before pulling off at a gas station.

“My son is dying. Where’s the closest hospital?” he said he asked the attendant.

The family ended up at Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center, from where the boy was transferred to UCI Medical Center.

Bryan remained sedated Thursday. Though he had moved his arms and legs, the family said doctors told them the prognosis was uncertain.

“They don’t know yet what’s still coming,” said Alejandro Donis, an uncle. “His moving is something good, but it doesn’t mean that he’s totally OK.”

For Juan Donis, the gravity of his son’s injuries is underscored by the disruptions in normalcy.

“I miss him saying ‘I love you,’ ” he said.

As the father spoke, he grasped a book of Bible verses. Family members described themselves as regular churchgoers and said they are leaning on their faith as they try to deal with their emotions--and as they tried to let the child know they were there.

“I called his name, and I think he heard me,” said Jeanette Donis, an office worker. “God gives us strength. . . . Our life has changed so much. I miss my son very much. I wish I could see him at home playing with his friends . . . and give him kisses.”