Janae Edmondson, the Tennessee volleyball player who lost her legs after she was hit by a car in downtown St. Louis in February 2023, on Thursday settled a lawsuit against the City of St. Louis for $450,000.
Edmondson and her parents were in town for a volleyball tournament and crossing the street downtown when a car struck her. The firm representing the Edmondson family, Simon Law, argued that the city was negligent by installing a yield sign at a low-visibility intersection.
Attorneys with Simon Law said the driver had “multiple illicit drugs in his system” when he sped through the yield sign and struck the teen.
In a statement, the Edmondson family expressed relief at resolving the lawsuit.
“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 statement reads. “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.”
City officials declined to comment on the matter until the case is completely closed from a legal perspective, a city spokesman said.
Kevin Carnie Jr. of Simon Law commended Edmondson, 19, and her family for their strength over the past two years.
“Janae is strong, she's resilient, she's tenacious, she's just incredible,” Carnie said. “And I know she's going to keep fighting. She's kept fighting through all this, and she just keeps improving herself. It’s really remarkable to watch.”
Carnie said Edmondson’s prosthetics and other medical expenses cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and will require maintenance for the rest of her life.
The lawsuit alleged that EAN Holdings, known as Enterprise Rent-A-Car, provided a car to Kimberly Riley that was driven by her son Dan Riley, who did not have a license. It claims his car collided with one driven by Elizabeth Smith, whose license was suspended. Riley’s car then hit Edmondson near North 11th and St. Charles streets in downtown St. Louis.
The family agreed to settle the lawsuit for $67,000 less than the cap on damages in Missouri. The cost of taking the case to the trial, which was scheduled to begin on March 3, would have been too much, in addition to the emotional toll it would have taken on the family, Carnie said.
The case could take years to work its way through the court of appeals, while the family lose out on interest waiting to be paid.
It’s disappointing the city would not agree to settle for the maximum amount, Carnie said.
“Caps really hurt the most vulnerable, like Janae,” he added. “It puts victims in a terrible spot, forcing them to settle their cases for way less than is fair.”
