Atlanta

Friends trying to help Army veteran who suffered terrible accident

ATLANTA — Devin Nealy says we all know people who have been dealt a bad hand in life. His good friend Kenny Freeman is one of them.

“It’s been an uphill battle throughout his life for a lot of different things,” Devin said.

Freeman grew up in one of northwest Atlanta’s roughest neighborhoods. The eldest of seven siblings, he was only 18 when his father died, leaving him the responsibility of leading the family.

Freeman worked to take care of them while he served his country with the U.S. Army in Iraq. He settled into a promising future until a tragic accident.

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His family said he was seriously injured on the job a few days after Christmas.

He suffered two broken legs, a broken hip, a fractured eye socket and jawbone. He’s now at the Shepherd Center in Buckhead.

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The man who helped others his entire life now needs help himself.

Nealy has been rallying friends to do what they can. He started a GoFundMe and he hopes those who know Freeman, and even those who don’t, may be able to help.

“He’s someone I’ve known since I was 11. It’s beyond being a friend. He’s a brother. A family member. This is what I can do right now,” Nealy said.

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