ST. LOUIS — Just over five months ago, 17-year-old Janae Edmondson was in downtown St. Louis for a volleyball tournament at the Dome at America's Center when she was struck by a car and lost both of her legs.
On Wednesday, 18-year-old Janae received her first set of prosthetics and began training to walk again, according to her mother, Marilyn Edmondson, in an update to the GoFundMe campaign.
"Today was amazing. Janae did what we expected her to do. She beat all of our expectations! She was so driven to walk, she couldn't be stopped. So blessed! Thank you, God for answering prayers!" Marilyn said in the GoFundMe.
"Please pray for her to excel and that it will come with ease and grace. I am so overwhelmed and thankful to God that she is still here and is able to do this. I haven't seen my child stand in five months and eight days. I implore you to pray so relentlessly that she does this so easily. We are anxious and nervous but so excited that she is closer to walking again. Thank you all so much!" she said in a Tuesday update.
Since the crash, Janae has undergone numerous surgeries, doctor appointments and physical therapy on her journey to recovery, but she also got to attend prom, sign with Middle Tennessee State University to play volleyball in the fall, graduate high school, celebrate her 18th birthday and get baptized alongside her mother.
In June, Kevin Carnie Jr. of the Simon law firm and Robert Blitz of the Blitz, Bardgett & Deutsch law firm filed a lawsuit on Janae's behalf against the City of St. Louis, the man who police said was driving the car that hit her, that man's mother and a car rental business.
The man who allegedly caused the crash, 21-year-old Daniel Riley, was on house arrest at the time for a 2020 robbery and had violated his GPS monitoring dozens of times.
The incident triggered public criticism of the office of former St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, ending with her resignation in May.
PHOTOS: Janae Edmondson walks with prosthetics
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