STREET. LOUIS — A teenage volleyball player from Tennessee is suing the city of St. Louis, Missouri, and two drivers who struck her in February, causing her to lose both legs.
The claim on behalf of Janae Edmondson was presented on Tuesday. The driver allegedly responsible for the accident, Daniel Riley, was out on bail on a robbery charge despite several bail violations by him. The accident sparked outrage against Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner amid concerns that dysfunction in her office allowed Riley to remain free. Gardner resigned in May as Missouri Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey sought his removal.
Gardner was not named in the lawsuit, but her attorney, Kevin Carnie, said they were «evaluating the possibility.» St. Louis Post-Dispatch informed.
Edmondson, then a high school senior, was in St. Louis for a volleyball tournament on February 18. He was with his parents crossing an intersection when a speeding car driven by Riley collided with another car driven by a woman. Edmondson was trapped between the two vehicles.
Edmondson «had his bright future brutally taken from him,» the lawsuit says, calling the accident «entirely preventable.»
The suit seeks damages of more than $25,000 from Riley, her mother, the city and the driver of the other vehicle. The lawsuit says Riley’s mother allowed him to borrow her car despite her «habitual recklessness.» She says the driver of the other car should be held responsible because she was also 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 the buildings blocked the view of oncoming traffic.
A city spokesman declined to comment.
Riley remains jailed while awaiting trial in his criminal case.