Rising country star Conner Smith has largely avoided the public eye since his involvement in a deadly accident that killed a 77-year-old Tennessee woman. Now, the “Creek Will Rise” singer, 24, will take the stage for the first time since the June 8 incident.
Smith will perform at the Grand Ole Opry at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 30. The Nashville native joins Michael Ray, Morgan Wade, Steven Curtis Chapman, and more.
According to Taste of Country, Smith wrote on Instagram that he is “grateful to step back on stage on Wednesday. Thankful to the church of country music.”
Police Charged Country Singer in Elderly Woman’s Death
According to initial reports from the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, Conner Smith was driving a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck on June 8 when he hit Dorothy Dobbins. The 77-year-old Germantown resident was walking her dog in a marked crosswalk at 3rd Avenue North near Van Buren Street.
Witnesses say that Smith immediately ran to Dobbins to render aid until emergency personnel arrived on scene. MNPD officers found no evidence that the “I Hate Alabama” singer was driving impaired or distracted at the time of the crash.
Officials took Dobbins to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where doctors pronounced her dead.
Smith backed out of two June concerts in order to “privately process” the tragedy. Later, MNPD officials announced the department was charging Smith with Failure to Yield the Right of Way Resulting in Death, a class A misdemeanor. He will appear in court for booking on the citation August 7.
What Has Conner Smith Said About Fatal Crash?
After understandably taking a step back from the spotlight, Conner Smith broke his silence in a July 11 statement posted to social media.
“Four weeks ago, I was involved in a tragic vehicle accident that resulted in the loss of a life. Not a day has gone by that I haven’t grieved, prayed and mourned for Ms. Dobbins and her family,” the ACM-nominated country singer wrote. “My heart is broken in a way I’ve never experienced, and I still struggle to fully process the weight of it all.”
Asking his followers to continue praying for Dorothy Dobbins and her family “by name,” Smith explained that he stepped away from subsequent shows “out of respect for everyone involved.”
Featured image by Jason Davis/Getty Images for SiriusXM
