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Cyclist’s family asks for help

Decatur Metro ATL

Cyclist’s family asks for help

A photo of Greg Germani with his dog, Ruby. Photo provided by Beth Anne Harrill
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A photo of Greg Germani with his dog, Ruby. Photo provided by Beth Anne Harrill

A photo of Greg Germani with his dog, Ruby. Photo provided by Beth Anne Harrill

Greg Germani and the two people accused of covering up the crime that put him in the hospital are both headed down a long road.

Germani remains in the hospital after a June 9 incident. Police accuse Joseph Alan Lewis, 19, of using a red Dodge Nitro to run Germani down while he was riding his bike on Flagler Avenue in Atlanta’s Piedmont Heights community. Police also accused Lewis’ girlfriend, Shanelle Woodard, of helping him conceal evidence of the crime.

Woodard and Lewis will have a preliminary hearing tomorrow morning, July 31, a 9:30 am. Woodard is accused of tampering with evidence, while Lewis faces a slew of charges including attempt to commit murder.

Nearly two months after Greg Germani was attacked, he remains in the hospital and is facing a pile of medical bills when he is released. The public gave generously to a reward fund to help find the suspect, raising nearly $30,000 for the cause. Now the family is asking for another fundraising effort, this time to help defray Germani’s expenses.

They’ve set up a Go Fund Me Account, which you can see by clicking here. As of July 30, it had raised about $7,500.

The family said that Germani suffered a brain injury, and it’s impossible to know how long the recovery will take.

“While Greg’s insurance has great coverage for hospitalization costs, like many insurance plans, his post-hospitalization benefits are limited,” the Go Fund Me account says. “Treatment for a traumatic brain injury goes far beyond hospitalization and inpatient rehabilitation. It will be a lengthy treatment plan requiring outpatient therapy, in-home care, the purchase of rehabilitative equipment, and potential modifications to Greg’s home.”

Germani is the man behind the Atlanta Time Machine website.

“A labor of love (for which he’s never solicited contributions or advertisements), Greg has collected hundreds of then-and-now images of Atlanta, waging a one-man crusade to share with his fellow Atlantans a sense of their history,” the Go Fund me account says. “Over the years his site has been celebrated in multiple news stories and he’s garnered thousands of fans as he’s helped us appreciate the history of the place we call home. Now, however, it’s Greg who is in need of our help.”

Police arrested Lewis and Woodard two weeks ago. According to affidavits for arrest obtained by Decaturish, police have video of Woodard and Lewis driving to a Walmart on Howell Mill road to buy car covers that they allegedly used to conceal the damage to the Nitro.

During their first appearance before a judge on July 17, Woodard’s attorney argued that police had minimal evidence against her client, but the judge disagreed. The judge set her bond at $15,000 and she was released from jail on July 18. The judge denied Lewis bond and he has been in jail since his arrest.

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