ST. LOUIS — The Tennessee teen whose legs were amputated in February following a crash in downtown ºüÀêÊÓƵ filed suit Tuesday against the city and the two drivers who hit her.
Janae Edmondson was visiting ºüÀêÊÓƵ on Feb. 18 for a volleyball tournament when she was pinned between two cars and critically injured. The driver of one of the vehicles, Daniel Riley, was out on bond in a pending robbery case despite violating the conditions of his bond dozens of times.
The incident sparked widespread outcry and calls for the resignation of ºüÀêÊÓƵ Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner, whose dysfunctional office was blamed for allowing Riley to remain free. Gardner stepped down last month amid a lawsuit seeking her removal and a bill in the state Legislature that would have stripped her of most of her power.
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Now, ·¡»å³¾´Ç²Ô»å²õ´Ç²Ô’s suit is seeking an amount more than $25,000 in damages from Riley, Riley’s mother, the city of ºüÀêÊÓƵ and the driver of the other vehicle that struck Edmondson. The exact amount of damages Edmondson is seeking will likely be determined later.
The suit did not name Gardner nor the ºüÀêÊÓƵ Circuit Attorney’s Office, but ·¡»å³¾´Ç²Ô»å²õ´Ç²Ô’s attorney, Kevin Carnie, said they were “weighing the possibility.â€
The teen, the lawsuit said, “had her bright future brutally ripped away.â€
“The crash ... was completely preventable,†the lawsuit said.
Edmondson, then a high school senior, was crossing the intersection of St. Charles and North 11th streets on Feb. 18 when a speeding Audi that Riley was driving collided with a Chevrolet Malibu driven by another woman, police said. Edmondson was pinned between the two vehicles.
·¡»å³¾´Ç²Ô»å²õ´Ç²Ô’s father said his military training kicked in as he applied a tourniquet to the teen’s legs. She has undergone several surgeries and a long recovery since.
The lawsuit blames the city for failing to maintain a safe intersection. It says there was a yield sign meant to control westbound traffic on St. Charles Street, but the sign wasn’t adequate because those traveling on 11th Street couldn’t see oncoming traffic. Buildings were blocking their sight, it said.
“A full stop is required for traffic on St. Charles to adequately observe conflicting cross traffic,†the suit says.
Meanwhile, the suit says Riley should be held liable for driving without a license and driving recklessly. It also says his mother should be held liable for letting him borrow her car due to his “habitual recklessness.â€
It also says the driver of the Malibu should be held liable because she, too, was driving without a valid license that night.
A city spokesman declined comment. Riley is being held in the ºüÀêÊÓƵ jail pending trial in his criminal cases.
A hearing has not been set in the lawsuit.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify the amount of damages being sought.