A Michigan community is reeling after a 75-year-old military veteran was left in a coma following a violent confrontation outside his home — all because he allegedly told a speeding delivery driver to slow down.
Lloyd Poole has been hospitalized and in a coma since Dec. 28 after prosecutors say he was punched in the side of the head outside his home in Wixom. Police say the suspect, 40-year-old Ryan Turner, was working as a delivery driver for DoorDash at the time of the attack.
According to Poole’s family, the retired veteran was walking his dogs that day, something he did regularly despite frigid winter temperatures. His daughter, Jen Shaw, said there are no sidewalks in the neighborhood — a detail she says matters.
“The guy sped past, and my dad called out to him that he needed to slow down,” Shaw told the Daily Mail. “He delivered food somewhere else and then came back through. When he sped by again, my dad yelled out to him again.”
Shaw said her father stepped off his porch to get the vehicle’s license plate number when Turner allegedly stopped his car and the two exchanged words.
Security camera footage from a neighbor’s home captured what happened next.
“Out of nowhere, the guy punches my father on the side of the head,” Shaw said. “My dad didn’t even try to defend himself. I don’t think he saw it coming. He fell, and the guy got back in his car and drove away. He left him lying in the road.”
Poole suffered catastrophic brain injuries and was rushed to the hospital, where doctors performed emergency surgery that required removing part of his skull to reduce swelling. His family says he remains in a coma and doctors are now monitoring for potential infection.
“They’re worried about infection at this point,” Shaw said. “There really haven’t been many updates. It’s uncertain whether he’s going to live.”
The Wixom Police Department says Turner later confessed to striking Poole and leaving the scene. Turner has claimed he acted in self-defense, saying he felt threatened by the elderly man.
Despite the severity of Poole’s injuries, Turner was charged with aggravated assault, a misdemeanor that carries a maximum sentence of one year in jail. He posted bond and was released.
Court records show Turner has a prior history involving assault and battery in 2022, as well as multiple driving-related offenses, including driving with a suspended or invalid license.
“That’s what I don’t understand,” Shaw said. “He shouldn’t have been driving at all. He had a suspended license and a long history of driving without one.”
DoorDash responded to the incident by calling it “absolutely appalling and unacceptable,” and confirmed Turner has been permanently removed from the platform.
“DoorDash has zero tolerance for violence,” a spokesperson said. “We are working with local law enforcement to support their investigation to ensure justice is served.”
As Poole fights for his life, his daughter says she’s been stunned by online comments suggesting her father should have stayed quiet.
“He didn’t initiate anything physical,” she said. “He told someone to slow down. That’s it. The driver chose to escalate it into violence.”
Poole, who was drafted and served two years in the military, has lived in the Wixom neighborhood for 45 years and is known locally as a regular volunteer.
Shaw says she believes the charge and bond don’t reflect the gravity of what happened.
“This is more than a misdemeanor,” she said. “My dad is in a coma because someone couldn’t control his temper.”
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