King County has agreed to pay $3.5 million to a former Seattle man and his wife after the man suffered a permanent brain injury when he was thrown from his bicycle on a road east of Redmond.

Lawyers for Jeffrey Totten and his wife Danielle Leavell said the county was at fault because it promoted Novelty Hill Road as a bike route but failed to maintain it in a safe condition.

The Seattle Times/The Totten Family

Jeffrey Totten is shown with his wife Danielle Leavell is this photo taken in 2006.

Totten, an endurance athlete, was thrown from his bike when it struck a depression around a survey "monument" in the roadway Sept. 4, 2006. He was 31.

He has been in a hospital, a rehabilitation center and now a group home in Mount Vernon since the accident, which left him in a coma for seven months. The settlement will allow funds for round-the-clock care for the rest of his life, his attorneys said.

Physically, emotionally and cognitively disabled, Totten will never be able to work again. A Navy veteran, he bicycled daily from his home in Seattle's Fremont district to the energy firm where he worked in Issaquah.

The accident occurred while on a longer training ride with friends.

"We deeply regret that this incident occurred and the bicyclist was so severely injured," said King County Transportation Department spokeswoman Rochelle Ogershok. "With the involvement of a mediator we were able to reach a settlement of this case without the necessity of a difficult and lengthy jury trial. We feel the settlement will insure that Mr. Totten has the resources he needs to secure his future well-being and medical needs."

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