19-year-old thrown 300 feet from home during tornado is out of ICU, father says

ATLANTA (Atlanta News First/Gray News) - A now-19-year-old who was thrown nearly 300 feet from his house during a tornado last week in Georgia has been released from the intensive care unit, according to his father.

Tray Chaney, an actor known for playing Poot on the HBO show “The Wire,” said his son Malachi Chaney still has a long journey ahead of him.

“He has to learn how to walk again by himself and it’s a variety of things that the doctors have to do in order for us to leave this hospital, so again, keep us in prayer,” Tray Chaney said.

Malachi Chaney turned 19 in the ICU at Grady Memorial Hospital on Sunday.

Tray Chaney said his son was surrounded by family and could talk; he even tried to sit up and hug his parents.

“Our son, I want to see him walk and get up and hug and be not in pain. I want to see him be who he was,” Tray Chaney said. “This young man is brilliant. He’s my hero. That’s how I can describe him.”

Last Thursday, an EF-2 tornado blew through a Locust Grove neighborhood in Henry County. Although it was only on the ground for two miles, the tornado damaged 13 structures and ripped the Chaneys’ home apart.

Malachi Chaney was thrown 287 feet away from his home and landed in a nearby woodline, officials said. He broke several ribs and fractured almost every bone in his face, according to his father.

No other serious injuries were reported.

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