ST LOUIS – Janae Edmondson and the City of Saint Louis have reached a $450 thousand dollar settlement nearly two years to the day the teenage volleyball player lost both her legs in a downtown Saint Louis car crash, that’s according to her lawyers. Spectrum News reached out to the Mayor's office late this morning and was told no comment "until the settlement agreement is fully executed and the matter is fully and completely closed from a legal perspective."

What You Need To Know

  • Janae Edmondson and the City of Saint Louis reached a $450 thousand dollar settlement

  • Edmondson was struck in February 2023 by Daniel Riley's rented car in an intersection in downtown resulting in her legs being amputated

  • Edmondson's medical costs easily eclipse the settlement amount as they are in the millions

Daniel Riley was found guilty last year and sentenced to nearly 19 years in prison for his connection to the crash. He was out on bond at the time of the crash even though he had violated his release dozens of times, according to the circuit court. Toxicology tests taken the night of the crash showed Riley had fentanyl, codeine and THC in his system.

Police say Riley was speeding down a road in his rented Audi when he didn’t yield at an intersection and collided with another vehicle, sending the Audi airborne. The car then hit a parked car, pinning Janae between two vehicles. She was crossing the street with her parents, who were in town from Tennessee for a volleyball tournament when she was hit.

Edmondson’s attorney, Kevin Carnie Jr., with Simon Law, said that weeks after the accident, the city replaced a yield sign with a stop sign at the intersection where the crash happened. 

Attornies argued in the lawsuit that the city was negligent by installing a yield sign at a low visibility intersection in which drivers’ views are obstructed on both sides by high-rise buildings.

Carnie also explained that while Edmondson’s medical costs are in the millions, Missouri laws cap damages, limiting the amount Janae would get in a civil case to a maximum $517,316. 

"It's heartbreaking to represent someone like Janae. To see everything she's been through, to see how she's still fighting it and she just keeps going," said Simon Law Attorney Kevin Carnie Jr. in a phonecall with Spectrum News. "Then have that conversation with her and her family and let her know that no matter what happens, there's cap. It's tough, that's the heartbreaking part of this whole thing."

He believes for people to truly be compensated for their troubles, it'll take major change in Jefferson City.

​​“This case – and many others like it – demonstrates why cap laws in this state need to change,” said Carnie Jr. in a statement.  “It’s sad that lawmakers in our state’s capital decided to shield government agencies from accountability when preventable tragedies like this happen because of their negligence.”

He also said the family decided to settle the case for $67,000 less than the cap to avoid the cost of taking the case to trial, which was scheduled to start in March. Carnie told Spectrum News while he couldn't declare specifically what the family is doing to cover the medical costs, they are doing what they can.

"They're working hard to find any way they can to get her the care that she needs – they're all so strong and they're all so resilient. I know they're just going to keep fighting and things are just going to keep getting better for them."

An online donation account for Janae Edmondson continues to receive support for Janae frequently and is near $1,000,000.

The Edmondson family released this statement regarding the settlement. 

“We’re relieved that we were finally able to resolve this with the City. Given the multiple levels of failure by this City to not only keep this intersection safe, but to keep the criminal who did this to our daughter off the streets, we’re still disappointed that it took this long for the City to step up and do the right thing. The citizens of St. Louis, on the other hand, have been absolutely amazing in their support for Janae and our family, and for that, we will be forever grateful.”

 The incident involving Riley led to calls for then St. Louis Prosecuting Attorney Kim Gardner to resign due to her handling of the case. It drew more attention to her office, and months later Gardner resigned under legislative pressure from lawmakers in Jefferson City, along with legal proceedings from the Attorney General’s office that sought her removal.