51ºÚÁÏ

ST. LOUIS — The moment an SUV slammed into Janae Edmondson, she felt something warm. Numbness. And pain.

She fell face down onto a downtown 51ºÚÁÏ street. Her father pulled something tight around her legs. Her mother took her head into her hands and told her not to close her eyes. Stay awake.

The chaos of the scene melted into the background as she tried to figure out what was happening. Paramedics loaded her into an ambulance. As they worked on her, she repeated her mother’s words.

“My mom said don’t close my eyes,� she recalled. “I have to stay awake.�

Edmondson testified Thursday at the trial of Daniel Riley, 22, accused of driving dangerously last year and causing the crash that severed both of her legs. She spoke from a wheelchair with her amputated, scarred legs visible to the courtroom.

She paused to compose herself a few times while remembering details of the crash, and she spoke at length about her perseverance over the past year. She also recalled that when she saw her siblings for the first time in the hospital, she told a joke to lighten the mood.

By the end of the day, Riley was convicted of two felonies — second-degree assault and armed criminal action — and two misdemeanors, including driving without a license. The jury deliberated Riley's sentence late into Thursday evening, eventually recommending up to 18 years and nine months in prison.

The Feb. 18, 2023, crash and its aftermath jump-started an effort to remove former 51ºÚÁÏ Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner from office after it was revealed that Riley was out on bond for a previous robbery case despite violating the conditions of his bond dozens of times. Gardner eventually resigned.

Prosecutors argued Riley had fentanyl, THC and codeine in his blood when he pulled out of a parking space on St. Charles Street in an Audi SUV, accelerated from 5 to 45 mph in a matter of seconds, violated a yield sign and collided with a Chevrolet Malibu that was traveling north on 11th Street.

Edmondson was pinned between two cars, and both her legs were amputated as a result.

On Thursday, Edmondson’s mother, Francine Edmondson, was the first witness to take the stand.

She tearfully described seeing her daughter in the hospital and waiting for hours during nearly two dozen surgeries her daughter underwent during their two-week stay in 51ºÚÁÏ.

She remembered being awoken at night and working with her husband, James Edmondson to help quell the phantom pains that caused her daughter to cry out. They cleaned and dressed her wounds, took her to physical therapy and watched an active, energetic kid slip into depression.

“The first thing she said to me (in the hospital) is, ‘Mama, I’ll never be able to play volleyball or walk again,’� Francine Edmondson said.

When Janae Edmondson came home from the hospital, she reunited with her beloved dog, and the family rearranged their house to accommodate her wheelchair. Janae also could no longer climb the stairs to her bedroom. They bought her a car and equipped it with levers that allowed her to drive with her hands. They took her to physical therapy most days each week.

Janae Edmondson testified after her mother on Thursday morning.

At one point, she stumbled over how to refer to the crash.

She at first called it “my accident,� before adding, “Well, not my accident. The ...� before a prosecutor said “crash,� and Janae Edmondson agreed.

In all, she has undergone 29 surgeries and still has four more to go.

She graduated from high school and is now enrolled at Middle Tennessee State University, where she is a manager of the volleyball team and helps at practices. She is working on walking with prosthetics and continues to recover.

Edmondson’s father, James Edmondson, took the stand on Tuesday. He spoke of his his military background and using a belt to apply a tourniquet and stop the bleeding after the crash — a move he later learned saved his daughter’s life.

“My mind went from father mode to military,� he said. “It was like God just had control of my hands.�

Four months after the crash, she filed a lawsuit against the city of 51ºÚÁÏ, Riley and the driver of the Malibu. That suit is ongoing.

Riley’s attorney, Dan Diemer, argued at trial that police rushed to judgment in arresting Riley despite evidence suggesting the driver of the Malibu may have been at fault.

Prosecutor Tanja Engelhardt said in closing statements it was a “miracle� that Janae survived.

“But for the grace of God, we would be here on a homicide today,� Engelhardt said.

After Riley was convicted, the trial went straight into the punishment phase, where jurors recommended to the judge a sentence of nearly 19 years.

Several jurors hugged the Edmondson family, who had urged a sentence of 23 years, after making the recommendation.

Judge Michael Noble will sentence Riley in April.

Riley did not speak before jurors issued their recommendation, and no one in his family delivered a statement.

Janae Edmondson told the jury before sentencing that she was reminded each day of the little things she used to take for granted — standing, walking, sitting and taking a shower.

She thanked her parents for saving her life the night of the crash and building her up with the strength to survive new challenges. She said she found hope in her faith in God that she could persevere.

“I will not let this define who I am or what I bring to the world,� Janae Edmondson said.