Country Artist Conner Smith Fatally Hits 77-Year-Old Woman
Big Machine/Valory Music artist Conner Smith struck a 77-year-old woman as she was crossing the street at a designated crosswalk in Nashville on Sunday evening, June 8th. The accident happened at about 7:30 PM as Smith was driving his Chevy Silverado northbound on 3rd Avenue. Nashville resident Dorothy Dobbins was transported to Vanderbilt Medical Center after the accident, and later died of her injuries.
Sunday was the final day of the annual CMA Fest in Nashville. Conner Smith had performed on the Chevy Riverfront Stage on Saturday afternoon (6-7). The event draws large crowds to Nashville, and lots of traffic on central Nashville streets.
According to police, a preliminary investigation determined Dorothy Dobbins had right of way in the crosswalk, and Conner Smith failed to yield. Smith did not show any signs of impairment immediately after the crash, and he is not believed to have been using his cell phone at the time of the accident. At this time, no criminal charges have been filed as the investigation is still ongoing.
Conner Smith’s attorney Worrick G. Robinson released a statement to TMZ saying, “On June 8th, Mr. Smith was involved in a car accident that tragically claimed a life. His heart goes out to Ms. Dobbins’ family during this incredibly difficult time. Mr. Smith continues to cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation.”
24 year old Conner Smith is a Nashville native whose mother Jennifer Vickery Smith has also worked in the country music industry. In 2021, his song “I Hate Alabama” went viral on Tik-Tok, and he was signed to Big Machine’s Valory imprint. Since then he’s released two Certified Gold singes in “Take It Slow” and “Creek Will Rise,” with the latter also making it to #12 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, and going #1 on the UK Country Airplay chart.
More information via Saving Country Music on the fatality accident when it becomes available.
June 9, 2025 @ 6:55 pm
Sad story. It is a mess driving in Nashville when it’s trying to navigate the crowds.
June 10, 2025 @ 8:01 am
Germantown. No crowds.
June 10, 2025 @ 8:17 am
Germantown is arguably even worse than downtown with all the narrow streets, no parking, and confusing pedestrian right of ways. It’s unimaginative Eastern European Soviet bloc-era re-urbanization run amuck. Some cool spots there, but I’m not surprised it’s becoming a pedestrian death trap.
June 9, 2025 @ 7:00 pm
Such a sad situation all around. He was someone I had my eye on as far as rising country artists. Now he may have had his life ruined. I can’t imagine how he is feeling right now. And of course, I can’t imagine what the lady’s family is going through.
June 9, 2025 @ 7:24 pm
Luther Vandross pleaded not guilty to vehicular manslaughter after killing a passenger in his car after going 50 mph in a 35 mph zone and crashing in 1986.
Vince Neil of Motley Crue was convicted of vehicular manslaughter and DUI in 1984 after killing a passenger in his car.
June 9, 2025 @ 7:43 pm
Matthew Broderick also
June 9, 2025 @ 9:36 pm
Luckily for Tiger Woods and Billy Joel, they seem to generally drive alone and crash into only inanimate objects.
June 10, 2025 @ 12:31 pm
Not funny. At least not regarding Billy Joel.
June 10, 2025 @ 12:30 pm
Brandy was involved in a fatal four-vehicle fatal crash in 2007. She wasn’t charged (I’m not sure if she was the one at fault), but she was sued by the family of the deceased.
June 10, 2025 @ 9:24 pm
The drummer for Hanoi Rocks, Razzle, was the fatality in the Vince Neil crash. Two other people in another car were seriously injured as well.
June 12, 2025 @ 1:57 pm
“Now he may have had his life ruined.”
Maybe he should’ve thought about that before he killed a woman.
June 9, 2025 @ 7:33 pm
This is such a tragic story. This will haunt him for the rest of his life. I feel so sorry for the woman’s family.
June 9, 2025 @ 8:06 pm
Conner Smith’s attorney Worrick G. Robinson released a statement …”Mr. Smith continues to cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation.”
Given that Smith has retained a criminal defense lawyer, presumably what that statement means is that he’s complying with whatever he’s legally required to do.
“Cooperating fully with the investigation” probably does NOT mean that Smith sat down with detectives, waived his right to remain silent, and answered all their questions about his actions leading up to the accident, what he consumed, how fast he was driving, when he first became aware of the crosswalk, when he first became aware of the pedestrian and why he was unable to avoid running into her, etc.
June 9, 2025 @ 8:34 pm
None of which he is required to do.
June 9, 2025 @ 10:25 pm
As a Brit who visits Nashville twice a year it’s very noticeable to me that most vehicles don’t yield when I’m attempting to use a crosswalk, even when the signs tell them to do so and on the ones where I’ve activated the flashing light. I find it strange because 99.9% of people I meet there not in vehicles are polite and courteous.
June 10, 2025 @ 5:27 am
I’ve lived in Nashville about 5 years and worked downtown for over a year and it is a chore during busy hours. (Some nights it will take you an hour to get out of the parking garage and then you have one chance to make a turn at a stop light between the crowd of people on a crosswalk or you ain’t moving again) Pedestrians have the right of way but there are crosswalks everywhere downtown and during peak hours if you want to move at all you sometimes you have to thread the needle with your vehicle to get past people on crosswalks. I also drove downtown during the peak electric scooter phase. All it would take is one person to fall off the sidewalk and I would have hit them.
More details need to come out on this case with Conner before people can pass judgement. Morbidly a person wouldn’t have to be travelling that fast to kill a 77 yr old person. Also CMA traffic is known to be terrible.
June 10, 2025 @ 8:07 am
Again, this incident was NOT downtown but in Germantown. No crowds. And it was a Sunday night. CMA Fest has largely died down.
June 10, 2025 @ 8:59 am
Isn’t it suspicious that a 77 yo lady walked around in the streets that late?
June 10, 2025 @ 9:20 am
7.30pm in broad daylight? No, not suspicious at all. Unless there’s a senior citizen curfew in place that I’m unaware of.
June 10, 2025 @ 11:25 am
Apparently she was walking her dog.
June 10, 2025 @ 12:10 pm
No, it’s not suspicious that a 77 year old lady was out minding her own business. Stop blaming the victim.
Details on what may have happened are scarce and it could very well turn out to be that Conner Smith wasn’t at fault and it was a tragic accident. But that doesn’t mean the victim was at fault.
Asking “Isn’t it suspicious that a 77 yo lady walked around in the streets that late” is akin to asking what a sexual assault victim was wearing that led to her getting attacked.
June 10, 2025 @ 7:51 pm
@Huge (or so you say): “that a 77 yo lady walked around in the streets that late.” Yeah, you figured it out. She’s a senior streetwalker. Scandalous.
June 12, 2025 @ 7:45 am
“Suspicious” in what regard? I’m chuckling trying to figure out what you could possibly mean by that.
June 10, 2025 @ 9:18 am
I’m not sure what additional details you’re hoping for unless further investigation contradicts what has been reported.
According to police, a preliminary investigation determined Dorothy Dobbins had right of way in the crosswalk, and Conner Smith failed to yield.
June 10, 2025 @ 11:17 am
Pedestrians almost always have the right of away but if you’ve ever walked in a city there is still a personal duty to pay attention to what other vehicles are doing and making sure they are aware that they are walking. I say this because there is no other evidence provided that this was anything other than an accident.
June 11, 2025 @ 11:49 am
I get what you’re saying, but if you’re gonna “thread the needle” through pedestrians with right aways you need to make sure you do it without killing people. Also, Nashville people resenting crowds would be like Idaho people resenting potatoes, they pay the bills.
June 9, 2025 @ 10:50 pm
People shouldn’t be driving big trucks in the city. It’s harder to see pedestrians. Silverados are probably great, on a ranch, but not in a place like Nashville with 700,000 people.
This thing is like a tank.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6Wg_JFsCl7/
June 10, 2025 @ 8:12 am
Louder for the wannabe cowboys in the back…
June 10, 2025 @ 8:32 am
At 5’1″, the Avalanche i bought out in Oklahoma, was great for seeing everything all around.
Trucks are just fine in a city.
They are especially good at spotting Longhorn Steer who have broken fence. Say, driving back from Amarillo at 1:30 – 2:00 A.M.
June 10, 2025 @ 10:01 am
I don’t know about the Avalanche but we have GMC and Ford trucks in our fleet and they are NOT great for seeing everything all around. I do blind spot training with new employees, including people that have driven trucks their entire lives, and everyone is completely surprised at how little they see when they’re sitting in the truck and your moving objects around outside of the truck in order for them to understand the true range of their blind spots.
June 10, 2025 @ 9:57 am
People should be driving whatever they want and paying attention when they do. That loud enough for everyone, including the wannabe virtue-signallers in the front?
Prayers for all involved. Sad situation all around.
June 10, 2025 @ 5:48 am
We have similar crosswalks in my town.
I never walk until the car(s) come to a complete halt. Legally, I have the right of way, but the drivers have a metal monster. The law doesn’t assist when several tons of debris strike flesh.
June 10, 2025 @ 9:59 am
This happens everywhere. People don’t pay attention, and they haven’t for years. I don’t rush out until I see that the oncoming vehicles see me and plan to stop. Right away doesn’t mean anything when you’re dead.
June 10, 2025 @ 5:51 pm
Here in Ohio we have way too many vehicles with illegally tinted windows so you can’t tell if they see you or not. Or if they are on their phones. Or pointing a gun at you. No good.
June 11, 2025 @ 12:06 pm
Agreed. Pedestrians should be safe. Also that concrete cowboy driving should spend a long time in prison and the rest of his life without a license.
June 10, 2025 @ 8:29 am
Very sad for all concerned.
June 10, 2025 @ 1:17 pm
We’ve all been there; sitting behind the wheel waiting for an old lady to cross the road.
It’s very important to take a deep breath and not let the instincts get the best of you.
June 10, 2025 @ 5:22 pm
Proud of that one?
Maybe not the best time for a joke at the victim’s expense…
June 10, 2025 @ 10:02 pm
One of my better advices.
June 10, 2025 @ 7:20 pm
Condolences to Ms. Dobbins’ family,and if Conner Smith isn’t to blame for the tragedy,hopefully he can resume his career after a time of reflection.
June 10, 2025 @ 8:07 pm
And if he is to blame?
I Googled him. He’s listed as scheduled to perform in Fort Meyers, Fla. on June 14 and Akron, Ohio on June 20 and Columbus on June 21.
Seems your hopes have been granted already!
June 10, 2025 @ 9:22 pm
I’m assuming he will cancel. I would be surprised if he shows up.
June 15, 2025 @ 2:29 pm
I’m not a wannabe cowboy,I’m a concrete cowboy. (Who’s different from a “Coca Cola Cowboy,” though I DO quaff Diet Coke!!)