17-year-old volleyball player who lost both her legs in violent crash sues city of St. Louis

A teenager is suing the city of St. Louis after a horrific crash in February that took both her legs. 17-year-old Janae Edmondson from Tennessee was on her way to a volleyball tournament in St. Louis when a car hit her while she was walking on a sidewalk, WSMV reported. 

She went through multiple surgeries and lost her legs, the news outlet said. Four months after the violent crash, Edmonson has now filed a case against the city of St. Louis, with Daniel Riley (who drove the car that struck her), Kimberly Riley, Elizabeth Smith and Ean Holdings as defendants.

Daniel Riley was charged with second-degree assault after the crash. The lawsuit states that his mother allowed him to drive a car obtained from Enterprise Rent-A-Car. “Kimberly Riley and Enterprise entrusted their 2023 Audi to Daniel Riley despite their knowledge of his criminal history, his status on house arrest, lack of a driver’s license and his habitual recklessness,” the lawsuit claims.

Elizabeth Smith is the other driver that was involved in the crash. The lawsuit states that she was driving with a suspended license when Daniel Riley struck her car before crashing into Edmondson. The suit also accuses the city of not doing enough to maintain the area of 11th and St. Charles streets, adding that there should be a stop sign at that intersection and more street lights.

“St. Louis owed a duty to the general public and specifically to pedestrians to remove or warn of dangerous conditions and to maintain the intersection, including the area surrounding the intersection, in a reasonably safe condition,” the lawsuit claims.

Since the incident, Edmonson has been able to attend her senior prom in April and graduate high school in May while recovering, her family said. “Through all of this, she has fought hard to do the things she originally set out to do this senior year. These moments help us to keep stepping forward, but the road is still really hard each day,” her mother wrote on a GoFundMe page.