Buckhead Restaurant Raises Money for Former Employee

ATLANTA, GA -- Portofino's in Buckhead is raising money for a former employee who suffered serious injuries when he was struck by a wrong-way driver and has accumulated massive medical bills.

Kent Dowell worked as a waiter for 27 years. But after the accident, he was in a coma with several broken bones and serious burns. He has since accumulated medical bills of more than $1 million, according to the AJC.

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Dowell's GoFundMe page says he hasn't been able to walk in 12 months and is awaiting surgery for a blood clot in his left leg ... all of this, after seven surgeries and two more needed to walk again. All total, after the collision, Dowell suffered two broken feet, several broken ribs and a broken pelvis.

So, for the rest of this month and June, Portofino's will donate 25 percent of the proceeds if customers order the roasted red pepper radiatore. The dish is a favorite of Dowell's, who says he could eat it every single day.

Dowell has been out of work since the accident.