A single blow to the head knocked Christopher Mathews to the ground, leaving the father of two with a traumatic brain injury and no certainty of when he would fully recover.
Mathews, 39, was on a rare couple’s night out in San Francisco with his wife Rebecca, 38. The couple was waiting at the intersection of First and Howard streets for a car they had called for via Lyft, a ride-share service.
Surveillance footage released by police showed that on Sept. 8, just before 11.30 p.m., Mathews walked up to a white car he thought was the ride. A few seconds later, a man stepped out from the rear right door of the car and suddenly punched Mathews in the head.
He fell backward. His head slammed the pavement.
The surveillance footage stopped soon after two individuals were seen running toward Mathews while the white car sped away.
Life-Threatening Bleeding
Mathews spent four days in the intensive care unit of San Francisco General Hospital. Medical imaging showed the attack left him with several fractures—one on the back of his head, and three on the front, the Chronicle reported. There was also life-threatening bleeding in his brain.He initially struggled to remember his wife after he woke up.
“Some days, he didn’t know who I was. Some days he didn’t know he had kids,” Rebecca told the Chronicle.
Mathews’s condition has improved gradually since the assault, including long-term memory, speech, and physical skills. But no one knows when Mathews will fully recover from the traumatic brain injury.
“I hope he can go back to work one day. I hope he can be the father I know he can be to our kids. But the brain is a different type of injury. There’s no time frame for it,” she added.
Mathews is an insurance underwriter, and Rebecca is an IT professional. Both work in San Francisco.
‘San Francisco Isn’t the Same’
Police are seeking the man who attacked Mathews, and on Sept. 28 appealed to the public for help in the case. Police have released a sketch of the suspect alongside the surveillance footage of the incident.The vehicle is described as a white four-door sedan with a black roof and silver rims.
“I feel like the city of San Francisco isn’t the same,” Rebecca, who has lived in the city for 12 years, told the Chronicle. “Be on your guard at all times.”
