After a tragic car accident instigated by an unlicensed driver disregarding a stop sign over the weekend, an accomplished high school volleyball player from Tennessee was left with both of her legs amputated. The star athlete’s team was devastated to hear the news.
On Saturday night around 9 pm, 16-year-old Janae Edmondson was walking to her hotel with her parents after a successful first day at their volleyball tournament in St. Louis, Missouri when suddenly a driver came speeding towards them.
“A driver drove through a yield sign and struck a car. That car struck Janae,” her team, Mid TN Volleyball Club, posted on Facebook.
Janae was urgently brought to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Disastrously, medical professionals had no choice but to amputate both of the promising young athlete’s legs, as revealed by Mid TN Volleyball Club’s Assistant Director Jeff Wismer in a statement to KMOV.
“She has lost both limbs below her waist, so for us, how do you find words to explain our sorrow? We really can’t,” Jeff Wismer stated.
“The road in front of Janae is tough. There’s going to be a lot of challenges ahead, financial challenges, emotional challenges that we’re hoping that the community can embrace this family as she goes through this unique time in her life that you can never imagine. This is an unthinkable situation that she has to encounter right now.”
A video released by Citizens for a Greater Downtown St. Louis, an organization dedicated to pedestrian safety, documented the moment when a grey Audi raced through a yield sign at an intersection and smashed into another car.
The collision launched the second vehicle into the air, and Janae was reportedly struck as it somersaulted over, landed on its roof, and skidded down the street.
According to an affidavit acquired by KMOV, 21-year-old Daniel Riley was allegedly driving his Audi at a speed of 45 mph in a 20 mph zone and neglected to abide by the yield sign.
According to authorities, the criminal had no license and was out on bond for a previous robbery case. Moreover, he violated an order that required him to be under house arrest with GPS monitoring. As a result of this alleged misconduct, he is now facing charges of second-degree assault, armed criminal action, and several misdemeanors.
Wismer reported that Janae had recently made the commitment to play collegiate volleyball at a Division II school in her home state of Tennessee.
Located about 25 miles southeast of Nashville, the teenager was renowned for his basketball skills at Smyra High School.
“I am crying on my keyboard… life doesn’t make sense sometimes,” Jay Umboh, Janae’s former club basketball coach, posted on Facebook.
“Losing your legs as a young athlete about to play college ball is as Tragic as it can get. But if anyone can overcome this, I know it’s you Janae.”
