Five months after the horrific attack, a 75-year-old military veteran who was left struggling for his life after reportedly being sucker-punched by a speeding DoorDash driver outside his Michigan home passed away.
After the violent altercation that broke out in his peaceful neighborhood in Wixom, close to Detroit, late last year, Lloyd Poole never recovered consciousness.
After suffering severe brain damage, the retired veterinarian remained in a coma for several months, and family members could only watch helplessly.
Poole challenged a DoorDash driver who was rushing through the neighborhood where he had resided for decades, according to the prosecution.
Ryan Turner, 40, the suspected driver, was initially charged with aggravated assault after police claimed he hit Poole outside his house.
Following the assault on December 28, Poole spent months in serious condition in the hospital until passing away last week, according to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office.
In a statement, prosecutors stated, “Our office was saddened to learn of Lloyd Poole’s passing. We will continue to seek justice for the Poole family.” We are examining the case against his alleged attacker and may change the charges in light of new information.
Lloyd Poole, a 75-year-old veteran from Michigan, passed away months after sustaining severe brain damage during an alleged altercation with a DoorDash driver outside his Wixom residence.
Poole was allegedly hit by 40-year-old Ryan Turner as he was driving for the delivery service DoorDash.
Only after Poole yelled at Turner for hurrying through the neighborhood while delivering his food orders, according to the authorities, did the altercation get more heated.
“The guy sped past, and my dad called out to him that he needed to slow down,” Poole’s daughter Jen Shaw previously told the Daily Mail. Poole’s father was walking his dogs as part of his daily routine when the speeding car tore through the area where residents frequently walk in the roadway because there are no sidewalks.
She claimed that Poole called out Turner’s driving once again after he drove off to finish a delivery and then passed through the area once more.
A neighbor’s security camera caught what transpired next.
Shaw claimed that Turner abruptly stopped his car and got out as her father came off his porch to try to acquire the license plate number.
“Then out of nowhere, the guy punches my father on the side of the head,” she added, referring to the driver’s alleged abrupt attack after the two men had been arguing for a few moments. He doesn’t even make an effort to protect himself. I don’t believe he anticipated it.
After being hit on the side of his head, 75-year-old veteran Lloyd Poole, who served for two years, was placed in a coma.
In order to lessen the swelling, Poole had to have emergency brain surgery. Before finally passing away from his wounds, he was in a coma for five months.
Poole’s family finds it nearly impossible to accept the loss. The grandfather, lifelong neighbor, volunteer, and veteran had lived in harmony in the same house for decades.
After being struck, Poole suffered a severe head injury and tumbled to the pavement. “He fell, and the guy got back in his car and drove away,” Shaw said. “He simply abandoned him in the street.”
Turner eventually acknowledged to hitting Poole and fleeing the scene, according to police.
The victim’s family vehemently disagreed with Turner’s first assertion that he acted in self-defense after supposedly feeling intimidated by the 75-year-old veteran.
After the event, Shaw remarked, “It’s not like he initiated any physical contact.” “It’s absurd that this guy is claiming self-defense after he told him to slow down.”
The injuries turned out to be disastrous. Following a major brain bleed, Poole underwent emergency surgery. In an attempt to reduce deadly brain swelling, physicians removed a portion of Poole’s skull.
His family had to deal with the uncertainty for months as the soldier lay unresponsive in a coma while medical professionals checked for infections and brain damage.
The retired soldier was well-known in the neighborhood for volunteering and taking his dogs on walks on the peaceful streets. He had resided in the Wixom neighborhood for around 45 years.
According to Shaw, her father spent two years in the military after being conscripted.
Given Turner’s criminal history, which includes a road range incident in 2022, Jen Shaw, Poole’s daughter, finds it incomprehensible that he was allowed to drive for the app in the first place.
According to court documents, Turner was charged with assault in 2022 in connection with a different road rage incident that was later downgraded to a lower felony.
Additionally, he accrued a number of driving-related infractions, including those with an invalid or suspended license.
Shaw questioned Turner’s ability to work as a delivery driver at all because of those earlier occurrences.
“He shouldn’t be operating a vehicle,” she stated. “He had a long history of driving without a license and a suspended license.”
When the event initially surfaced, DoorDash denounced the alleged attack.
A company representative told the Daily Mail, “DoorDash has zero tolerance for violence, and we have permanently removed the individual’s access to the platform.”
In order to “ensure justice is served,” the company stated that it was working with investigators.
Poole’s family was furious when Turner was first freed after posting a $3,500 bond while the veteran remained unconscious in a hospital bed.
After the veteran’s passing, prosecutors said they are examining if enhanced charges are appropriate.
