ST. LOUIS – The City of St. Louis will pay $450,000 in a settlement nearly two years after a crash involving Janae Edmondson, an out-of-town teenager who lost her legs while walking around in the city.
In February 2023, Edmondson was visiting St. Louis with her family for a volleyball tournament. While she was walking around downtown St. Louis, a driver was speeding and failed to yield, colliding with another vehicle. That second vehicle went airborne and struck a parked car, pinning Edmondson between two vehicles. Both of her legs were amputated after the collision.
Investigators later determined the driver, Daniel Riley, was out on bond in a pending robbery case. The situation sparked public outrage and ignited calls to remove former St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner from office.
The settlement marks the end of legal claims from the crash and eliminates the need for a trial that was set to begin next month. Edmondson’s family decided to settle the case for $67,000 less than the capped amount due to high costs associated with going to trial.
On Friday, the Simon Law Firm announced a nearly half-million-dollar settlement, arguing in a lawsuit that the city was negligent for placing a yield sign at an intersection with poor visibility due to surrounding high-rise buildings.
“This case – and many others like it – demonstrates why cap laws in this state need to change,” said Simon Law Attorney Kevin Carnie Jr. via a news release. “Janae deserves to be compensated appropriately for her injuries—a one size fits all damages cap doesn’t come anywhere close to fairly compensating her.
Edmondson’s medical costs over the last two years have amounted to millions, while her prosthetic legs have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Edmondson’s family shared this statement on the settlement Friday on behalf of Simon Law:
“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.”
