S.F. man mistook a car for his ride-share. One punch later, he doesn’t know his kids
Out for a night on the town in San Francisco, parents Chris and Rebecca Matthews used a ride-hailing app to summon a lift, reported KNTV.
When a white car pulled up about 11:30 p.m., Chris mistook it for their ride-share and went to talk to the driver, the station reported. Then a passenger got out and sucker-punched him, before the car zoomed off, video shows.
The 39-year-old father of two fell to the pavement, fracturing his skull and causing bleeding in his brain in the Sept. 8 attack, reported The San Francisco Chronicle. When he woke up, he didn’t know his wife.
“Some days I was only the girlfriend,” Rebecca said, according to the Chronicle. “Some days, he didn’t know who I was. Some days he didn’t know he had kids.”
Her husband’s memory, speech and motor skills have improved, but his cognitive functions and decision-making skills are impaired, Rebecca told the publication. Chris has not seen their two children, ages 2 and 4, since the attack, the Chronicle reported.
“Will I be able to ever leave my husband with the kids alone? I don’t know,” Rebecca said, according to KPIX. “Will I be able to let him drive and not worry? I don’t know.”
A GoFundMe account created to help with the family’s expenses had raised $58,000 of an initial $40,000 goal by Tuesday morning.
San Francisco police on Friday released a sketch of the suspect and a security camera video showing the attack, which took place at First and Howard streets.
Police described the attacker as a man in his late 20s or early 30s who stands about 6 feet tall and has a buzz cut. The vehicle is a white sedan with a black roof and silver rims.
“It’s scary. I do hope we find him because I don’t want him to harm anyone else, but it’s not going to help with recovery of my husband and what he has to go through,” Rebecca said, according to KNTV.
This story was originally published October 2, 2018 at 9:48 AM with the headline "S.F. man mistook a car for his ride-share. One punch later, he doesn’t know his kids."