Update: April 15, 2009 — King County will be $3.5 million settlement ot Totten
Organizers of an online auction to help pay for the recovery of Seattle bicyclist Jeff A. Totten are still accepting quality items for the catalog.
Bidding will begin at 8 a.m. EST on May 12 for the Jeff A. Totten Special Needs Trust. Check the website for details.
Proceeds from the auction will go toward paying the therapy bills for Totten's recovery. The project manager for an energy consulting firm suffered a traumatic brain injury on a ride in September 2006. Coasting down Novelty Hill Road in Redmond, the front wheel of Totten's bike hit a utility hole in the bike lane that sent him flying.
He was in a coma for months and has been hospitalized in a California care facility where he's undergoing treatment. His wife, commercial photographer Danielle Leavell, says he still has left-side paralysis and has significant short-term memory problems.
Although it may sound bleak, Totten is making progress. According to the website:
“Jeff’s care, which includes physical/occupational/speech therapy, brain injury awareness, neuron-cognitive therapy, 24 hour medical care, shelter and food, comes at the cost of $1,000 per day.
“We know you are all thinking this is a very high price to pay, and it is. However, as the result of Jeff’s continued work, Danielle’s tenacity and dedication, and continued therapy, Jeff is now able to read, eat on his own, walk with aids, and carry on conversations with others. These are huge strides from where he began 18 months ago.
“As you can see, Jeff’s accident has changed the course of his life as well as his family’s. The family has all but exhausted its resources. Because of Jeff’s amazing recovery this far, as well as what the medical teams project for his future, Danielle and his family now need you to consider helping.”
Many of the auction items are donated vacation packages, as well as hot-air ballon rides and glider flights.
Meanwhile, the Post-Intelligencer reports that Totten has filed a $20 million lawsuit against King County for not properly maintaining the designated bike lane.
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