An attorney representing a teenage volleyball player who lost both legs after a horrific car crash in downtown St. Louis has filed a lawsuit against the city, the drivers of both cars involved, and one driver’s mother.
Janae Edmonson, then a 17-year-old high school senior from Tennessee, was in St. Louis for a volleyball tournament on February 18, KMOV reported. She and her parents were walking back to their hotel after the first day of the tournament when a car driven by 21-year-old Daniel Riley sped through an intersection and struck a car driven by Elizabeth Smith. Both cars hit Edmondson, pinning her between the two vehicles.
The lawsuit blames the city for maintaining an unsafe intersection, Riley as the driver at fault for the accident, and his mother for giving him access to the rental car he was driving. Riley was out on bond on robbery charges at the time of the accident and did not have a valid driver’s license. Kimberly Riley gave him permission to drive the vehicle, the lawsuit says, despite his “habitual recklessness.”
Smith, the driver of the other vehicle, who was not charged in the accident, should also be held accountable, the suit says, because she was also driving without a license, according to KRCG.
Carnie told KMOV that he is considering adding former St. Louis Prosecutor Kim Gardner as a defendant as well because Daniel Riley had several bond violations and was still out on bond.
EAN Holdings LLC, which does business as Enterprise Rent-a-Car, is also a defendant.
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Edmondson “had her bright future brutally ripped away” because of the crash, which the lawsuit calls “completely preventable,” KRCG reported
Edmondson has undergone multiple surgeries and ultimately had both legs amputated, her mother writes on a GoFundMe page to raise money to help support her care. She has since graduated high school, turned 18, and is working to build her strength for prosthetic legs.
The lawsuit seeks a judgement of at least $25,000, the threshold to be in circuit court. Carnie said they will be seeking much more, KMOV said.
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[Featured image: Janae Edmondson/GoFundMe]
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