Country star Conner Smith has admitted to enduring ‘dark moments’ since his fatal car accident involving an elderly woman.

The 24-year-old singer opened up on Wednesday about the accident during his first performance back on stage since the June crash.

Conner hit Dorothy Dobbins, 77, with his Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck in Nashville – hours after he performed at CMA Fest – while she was walking on a marked crosswalk.

Dorothy was rushed to Vanderbilt Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

Conner has since been issued a misdemeanor citation and is to appear for booking on the citation on August 7.  

And during his recent performance at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, the singer candidly spoke to the crowd about the aftermath.

‘I’ve found in the darkest of moments, the Lord is so much closer than ever before. He was better than I could ever imagine every step of the way,’ Conner said, according to a video obtained by Fox News.

‘He was kinder than I could ever imagine. He was more of a defender than I could ever imagine in my heart.’

Country star Conner Smith has opened up about ‘dark moments’ he’s had since a fatal car accident with an elderly woman

In the last two months following the accident, Conner has canceled multiple shows on his tour to take a step back and reflect on what happened. 

Before taking the stage, Conner posted an emotional blog post to his Substack titled The First Steps where he opened up about his emotional journey after the crash. 

‘What was once routine is now a great contrast to the two months of hiddenness my heart has needed,’ Conner wrote.

‘Tonight, I am going to perform again, and the truth is, in the very first moments of tragedy, I found it hard to imagine ever stepping on a stage again. 

‘The moment tragedy came, I knew that my heart had no way to process it.

‘Surrounded by an incredible community, my wife, family, friends, pastors, for the first 30 days, I stayed isolated from the world. I spent most of my time with friends who had stopped by the house, or just me and Jesus.

‘I turned off my phone, and the world, and simply guarded my mind, processing the pain with the people around me.’

He also thanked his fans for ‘standing by me’ and ‘protecting me.’

The 24-year-old singer opened up on Wednesday about the accident during his first performance back on stage since the June crash 

Conner concluded by revealing his first night back on stage felt like a ‘new beginning in every way.’

‘A restart, a second chance, an opportunity for purpose through the trials I’ve now known. My heart is filled with thankfulness because of that truth,’ he added.

‘The truth that I now get a chance to begin again, having seen the things that truly matter in life.’

During his performance at the Grand Ole Opry, the Christian singer performed emotional songs about worship and even debuted a new song called Songs of David, which he called a ‘version of a prayer’ he had been writing over the past two months.

He also touched on his hiatus to focus on healing, saying: ‘Out of respect for everyone involved and to give space for grieving, I made the decision to step away from shows these past few weeks. 

‘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 time away.’

Conner is a recording artist for Big Machine Records’ sub-label Valory.

He’s best known for the viral hit I Hate Alabama, which was released in late 2021 and became a sensation with TikTok users.

Buzz from the song led to his record deal, which he inaugurated with his 2022 EP Didn’t Go Too Far.