UPDATED: Smyrna, TN – A Smyrna teenager who was visiting St. Louis, Missouri for a volleyball tournament was hit by a vehicle this past Saturday night, resulting in severe injuries to her legs. Athlete Janae Edmondson was struck by a vehicle allegedly driven by a 21-year-old man who police say drove past a yield sign at an intersection, struck a parked vehicle while also striking Edmondson.
Authorities in St. Louis report that Edmondson, who attends Smyrna High School, was walking back to her hotel with her family when the incident occurred just before 9:00 at night on Saturday (February 18, 2023). Suspect Daniel Riley was arrested for second-degree assault, operating a vehicle without a valid license and armed criminal action. Police say that Riley was driving an Audi Q5, which is a small 4-door SUV, when he crashed. The suspect was allegedly driving 45 miles per hour, which was 20 mph over the speed limit, when he crashed.
Riley is currently in custody at the St. Louis City Justice Center in St. Louis, Missouri. He was booked at 8:50 PM this past Saturday, directly after the crash occurred.
After the crash, Edmondson was rushed to the hospital where medical staff cared for the 16-year-old. Approximately 24-hours later, she underwent surgery and doctors had to amputate both limbs below her waist.
Edmondson, who verbally accepted an offer to play volleyball at the college level, played volleyball for the Smyrna Bulldogs and she was part of the Mid TN Volleyball Club. She also played basketball for Smyrna High School. Mary Esther Reed, the Mayor of Smyrna, publicly stated on Facebook, “This is such a tragedy. Janae is a Senior at Smyrna High School. Please keep Janae and her family in your prayers.” Mayor Reed also shared a link to the Mid-TN Volleyball Club Facebook page where a link to a GoFundMe account was posted. As of mid-morning on Tuesday, just over $120-thousand has been raised.
The Mid TN Volleyball Club said on the GoFundMe page that was set up for Edmondson that the tragic accident occurred on day 1 of a volleyball tournament that she was a part of in St. Louis. Club administrators also wrote, “Her mother and father were with her as she was rushed to an area hospital. Janae suffered critical injuries.”
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