Michigan veteran, 75, left in coma after DoorDash driver allegedly punches him for telling him to slow down: ‘We’re really worried’

An elderly Michigan veteran was punched into a coma and had part of his skull removed after a DoorDash driver allegedly attacked him for telling him to slow down in the neighborhood.

Lloyd Poole, 75, approached the delivery driver at the end of his driveway in Wixom — about 30 miles outside Detroit — on Dec. 28 to tell him he was driving too fast through the residential area, WXYZ reported.

The DoorDash driver, identified as Ryan Turner, then got out of his vehicle and allegedly assaulted Poole, punching him in the head and knocking him to the pavement.

“My dad fell. Never got up. Never moved. And the DoorDash driver got back in his vehicle and drove away,” Poole’s daughter, Jen Shaw, told the outlet.

Poole was rushed to the hospital with a black eye and underwent emergency surgery to reduce brain swelling, which involved removing part of his skull.

Poole has not regained consciousness since being struck, Shaw said.

“He’s not responding. He can’t talk. He’s not awake,” his heartbroken daughter shared.

“We don’t know when he’s going to get out of this hospital bed. That may never happen.”

Turner, 40, later went to the Wixom Police Department and admitted to hitting Poole and leaving him in the street, claiming he felt threatened during the confrontation after getting out of his car, according to law enforcement.

Police said he also admitted to driving away from the scene.

Turner was arrested and booked into the Oakland County Jail.

He was charged with one count of aggravated assault and posted a $35,000 bond on Jan. 1.

Court records obtained by Fox 2 Detroit show Turner previously appeared on assault and battery charges in 2022 that were later reduced to a lesser offense.

Records also show he has prior driving-related offenses, including driving with a suspended or invalid license.

Following the alleged attack, a DoorDash spokesperson called the incident “absolutely appalling and unacceptable.”

“DoorDash has zero tolerance for violence, and we have permanently removed the individual’s access to the platform,” the spokesperson told CBS News.

“We are working with local law enforcement to support their investigation to ensure justice is served.”

Poole’s stepdaughter, Lindsey Gonzalez, told Fox 2 Detroit that although Turner was removed from DoorDash’s platform, the family fears he could still drive for other delivery services.

She said the family is also pushing to tighten Turner’s bond conditions to keep him away from Lloyd’s wife and their home, which is located a short walk from where Turner lives.

“It’s scary that he’s out walking around,” Gonzalez said. “I want everybody in the public to know his face and stay away from him.”

As Poole remains in a coma, family members have been rotating shifts at the hospital and remain hopeful for his recovery.

“You just don’t know with the brain, so we’re very concerned,” Shaw told WXYZ.

“We’re really worried.”