Conner Smith has been charged with a misdemeanor traffic citation a month after he was involved in a car accident that left one person dead.
The “Country in the Clouds” singer, 24, was driving a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck in Nashville on June 8 when he struck 77-year-old Dorothy Dobbins as she was crossing the roadway, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department said at the time.
Dobbins, who lived nearby, was subsequently “transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where she died,” according to police.
Nashville police said in a press release Thursday that Smith has since been charged with failure to yield the right of way resulting in death, which is a Class A misdemeanor.
The singer, who was accompanied by his attorney, was issued the state misdemeanor citation at the Traffic Division office on Thursday night just after 6 p.m., according to the press release.
Police stated that an investigation into the incident “shows Dobbins was crossing 3rd Avenue North near Van Buren Street in a marked crosswalk when she was hit by the pickup truck.”
“After Dobbins was struck, witnesses reported Smith ran to her to render aid until [Nashville Fire Department] paramedics arrived,” the press release continued. “Dobbins was rushed to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where she died. Officers found no evidence of impairment or distracted driving on the part of Smith.”
Smith’s attorney Worrick G Robinson addressed his client’s citation in a statement shared with ABC’s Good Morning America, saying that Smith is “incredibly grateful to the MNPD for their time and efforts to carefully investigate this tragic accident and has continued to cooperate at all times.”
“His thoughts remain with Ms. Dobbins’ family, and he remains committed to honoring her memory with compassion by supporting efforts to improve pedestrian safety and help prevent future tragedies,” Robinson added.
Since the accident, changes have been made to improve safety around the crosswalk, including the installment of signs and the removal of a tree that was obstructing the crosswalk’s view.
In an obituary published by The Tennessean on June 15, Dobbins, known as “Dot” to loved ones, was remembered by family and friends as a grandmother and a “respected attorney and advocate” who “spent over four decades championing family law, domestic violence prevention, and anti-violence initiatives.”
On Friday, Smith took to Instagram to share a statement about the accident and said that his heart is “broken in a way I’ve never experienced.”
“Not a day has gone by that I haven’t grieved, prayed, and mourned for Ms. Dobbins and her family,” he wrote. “I still struggle to fully process the weight of it all.”
He continued, “I ask that you continue to lift the Dobbins family up in prayer by name, asking for God’s peace to surround them each day.”
The singer added that he has made the decision to “step away from shows” over the past few weeks “out of respect for everyone involved and to give space for grieving.”
“I have always found that making music and playing shows is a place of healing for me — but for this moment, it was important for me to take that time away,” he said.
He ended his message by saying that he’s leaned on God during this time.
“Through tragedy, I have learned that God is more faithful than I could have ever known before,” he said.
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