ST. LOUIS — Janae Edmondson, the teenager who lost her legs in February after being struck by a car in downtown St. Louis, has filed a lawsuit against the city, the man who police said was driving the car that hit her, that man's mother and a car rental business.
Edmondson, who turned 18 last week, was 17 years old when she was critically injured in a crash involving a man who was supposed to be on house arrest. The incident spotlighted mounting criticism of the office of former St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, ending with Gardner's resignation in May.
Kevin Carnie Jr. of the Simon law firm and Robert Blitz of the Blitz, Bardgett & Deutsch law firm filed the lawsuit on Edmondson's behalf Tuesday in St. Louis Circuit Court.
"Janae Edmondson, a multi-sport high school athlete visiting St. Louis for a volleyball tournament, had her bright future brutally ripped away when she was crushed between two vehicles following a car crash, leading to amputation of both her legs," Carnie and Blitz wrote. "The crash, involving a robbery suspect who had violated the terms of his bond dozens of times over several months, was completely preventable."
Defendants include the City of St. Louis; Daniel Riley, the man suspected of crashing into Edmondson; EAN Holdings, LLC, which does business as Enterprise Rent-A-Car; Riley's mother, Kimberly Riley, who the lawsuit alleges let Riley drive the car while knowing he was on house arrest; and Elizabeth Smith, who the lawsuit alleges was driving with a suspended license when Riley struck her car before crashing into Edmondson.
The lawsuit alleges the city did not properly maintain signage at the intersection of 11th and St. Charles Street downtown where the accident happened. The suit alleges Daniel Riley was speeding when he approached that intersection, which the city put a yield sign to control westbound traffic along St. Charles Street.
"Because buildings block any view of traffic traveling on 11th Street, a full stop is required for traffic on St. Charles to adequately observe conflicting cross traffic," according to the lawsuit. "Defendant Daniel Riley entered the intersection and was struck in the left rear of the 2023 Audi by the vehicle driven by Elizabeth Smith."
The lawsuit continues: "St. Louis owed a duty to the general public and specifically to pedestrians, like (Edmondson), to remove or warn of dangerous conditions and to maintain the Intersection, including the area surrounding the Intersection, in a reasonably safe condition. In violation of this duty, St. Louis negligently permitted and maintained a dangerous condition to exist at the intersection, creating an unreasonable risk of injury to pedestrians, including (Edmondson)."
The lawsuit also claims Kimberly Riley -- Daniel Riley's mother -- and Enterprise "entrusted" Daniel Riley with a 2023 Audi on the day of the accident, "despite their knowledge of his criminal history, status on house arrest, lack of driver’s license, and habitual recklessness."
Janae Edmondson and her family were walking back to their hotel in downtown St. Louis on Feb. 28 when police said 21-year-old Daniel Riley sped down St. Charles Street, failed to brake, hit several cars and pinned Edmondson. She lost both of her legs in the crash.
Riley was charged in an armed robbery case in 2020.
He was put on house arrest with GPS monitoring and violated it dozens of times. In April 2022, Judge Bryan Hettenbach issued an order stating Riley could remain out on that bond after Riley appeared in court, and set a trial date for three months later.
The case never went to trial because the “state was not ready,” according to court documents.
Then Assistant Circuit Attorney Natalia Ogurkiewicz refiled the charges, which started the clock on another trial date over again.
Riley was allowed to remain on house arrest with GPS monitoring and continued to pile up violations for dead batteries on his ankle bracelet and repeated violations of the perimeter he was to stay within.
Gardner said her prosecutors asked a judge to revoke Riley’s bond in oral motions, but there is no record of any requests to revoke his bond.
Transcripts show Gardner’s prosecutors did not object when a judge asked them if they were opposed to Riley remaining on house arrest despite the multiple violations.
By the time Edmondson was struck in February, court records show Riley had violated the terms of his bond close to 90 times since he was originally charged with the robbery – about 50 of which occurred after the missed trial date in July 2022.
Months later, Edmondson is continuing her recovery. She underwent her most recent surgery on June 12, the same day she turned 18, according to an update posted to her GoFundMe page.
"She really didn't want to have it on her birthday but she would have to wait 3 weeks before they could schedule it if she didn't do it on her birthday," her mother, Marilyn Edmondson, wrote. "It's another step toward her prosthetics. She chose to do it instead of waiting. This girl is made different and really wants to walk soon."
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones' Office sent a statement to 5 On Your Side stating the city does not comment on pending litigation.