A St. Louis driver has been found guilty in a crash that severed a teen athlete’s legs

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A man who was out on bond when he crashed into a teen athlete last year, severing her legs, has been found guilty in the crash.

A jury convicted 22-year-old Daniel Riley on Thursday of second-degree assault, armed criminal action, fourth-degree assault and driving without a valid license, prosecutors said in a statement. Jurors recommended a term of nearly 19 years in prison when he’s sentenced next month.

Riley was a robbery suspect who was out on bond when he sped through a St. Louis intersection in February 2023, hitting an occupied car, then a parked car and pinning 17-year-old Janae Edmondson between two vehicles.

Riley’s attorney, Daniel Diemer, did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Friday.

Edmondson, of Smyrna, Tennessee, was in St. Louis with her family for a volleyball tournament. They had just left a restaurant after eating dinner following her game when the crash happened.

Her father, an Army veteran, used a bystander’s belt to apply a tourniquet to his daughter’s legs and is credited by doctors with saving her life.

Edmondson, who also suffered internal injuries and a fractured pelvis and has undergone nearly 30 surgeries, is suing the city of St. Louis and Riley.

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The crash led to efforts to remove then-St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner from office. Gardner’s critics blamed her when it was learned that Riley had violated the terms of his bond dozens of times but remained free.

Gardner, a Democrat and St. Louis’ first Black prosecutor, initially fought the effort and said the attempt to oust her was politically and racially motivated by Republicans with whom she had long been at odds.

But she resigned three months later, citing legislative efforts that would allow Republican Gov. Mike Parson to appoint a special prosecutor to handle violent crimes, effectively removing the bulk of her responsibilities.