Teenage volleyball player who lost legs in St. Louis accident sues drivers, city

ST. LOUIS — A teenage volleyball player from Tennessee is suing the Missouri city of St. Louis and two drivers who struck her in February, causing her to lose both legs.

The lawsuit on behalf of Janae Edmondson was filed Tuesday. The driver allegedly responsible for the wreck, Daniel Riley, was out on bond on a robbery charge despite several violations of his bond. The accident resulted in outrage against Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner amid concerns that dysfunction in her office allowed Riley to remain free. Gardner resigned in May as Republican Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey was seeking her ouster.

Gardner was not named in the lawsuit but her attorney, Kevin Carnie, said they were “weighing the possibility," the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

Edmondson, then a high school senior, was in St. Louis for a volleyball tournament on Feb. 18. She was with her parents crossing an intersection when a speeding car driven by Riley collided with another car driven by a woman. Edmondson was pinned between the two vehicles.

Edmondson “had her bright future brutally ripped away," the lawsuit states, calling the crash “completely preventable.”

The lawsuit seeks damages of more than $25,000 from Riley, his mother, the city and the driver of the other vehicle. The suit says Riley's mother allowed him to borrow her car despite his “habitual recklessness.” It says the driver of the other car should be held liable because she, too, was driving without a valid license.

The lawsuit blames the city for failing to maintain a safe intersection, citing a yield sign that the lawsuit claims was inadequate because buildings blocked the view of oncoming traffic.

A city spokesman declined comment.

Riley remains jailed as he awaits trial in his criminal case.