Jake Stroud, a Bartlett High School student and baseball player, crashed his truck while on his way to pick up his girlfriend and attend the Garth Brooks concert Thursday night. The 17-year-old is now in stable condition in the critical care unit at Regional Medical Center (“The Med”) in Memphis.
His sister, Taylor Stroud, explained tonight what happened: Jake dozed off at the wheel. The truck flipped multiple times on U.S. 70 near Airline Road in Arlington, and he was trapped underneath it until rescued and airlifted to The Med.
Despite having a broken leg, a broken arm, two surgeries and an appendix removal since then, he is now on the mend. He ran a fever but that has gone down, and he is expected to stay in the hospital for about a week, Taylor said.
“He is okay, very awake and very alert,” she said.
He will have one more surgery Saturday on his arm, Taylor said.
When asked if he seemed traumatized by the dramatic accident, she said no. She added that the only thing the family can’t seem to stop him from doing is repeatedly apologizing to them for the accident.
The Mid-South is hopeful the Bartlett teen will have one bright spot in a dismal week: Currently, there is a social media campaign trending online with the hashtag, #GarthBrooksGoSeeJake. People are hoping that the megastar, who is still in the Memphis area, will hear and respond with a surprise visit to one of his biggest fans tonight or tomorrow while Jake heals from his injuries.
Follow the hashtag and participate on Twitter and Facebook.
Written by Carolyn Bahm, Express editor. Contact her at (901) 433-9138, at bartlett.editor@journalinc.com or at carolyn.bahm@journalinc.com.
