Garth Brooks Fan Receives Large Payout After Being Injured at Concert

A Garth Brooks fan has received a large payout after being accidentally injured at one of the country music superstar’s shows.

According to Billboard, a Kentucky woman named Jean Ann Crenshaw attended Brooks’ Nashville concert at Bridgestone Arena on December 9 when a balloon and confetti drop, honoring songwriter and opening act Mitch Rossell, was scheduled to fall. Unfortunately, when the balloon failed to drop as planned, an unnamed worker used a pole to pry the rigging loose, unintentionally dropping the shaft into the audience in the process. As Crenshaw attempted to reach a balloon, the pole hit her below the eye, resulting in injuries severe enough to require both stitches and surgery.

The company in charge of the balloons, Iden Entertainment, agreed to a $65,000 settlement, covering both Crenshaw’s medical bills and other damages. As a result of her injury, Crenshaw had a broken nose, blocked tear ducts due to scar tissue, nerve damage, and her face remained bruised and swollen for several months following the accident.

Although Brooks has yet to reach out to Crenshaw, she does reveal she would consider going to one of his upcoming stadium shows, especially since they don’t have a roof.

“The worst that could happen is a bird could poo on you,” Crenshaw quipped.

Brooks is already lining up shows for his three-year Stadium Tour, which he announced in November, prior to his televised Notre Dame concert.

“I will say this, if the whole tour is going to be like Notre Dame, I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle it, because this is the most work that I’ve ever had at work, but it’s the most time I’ve ever put into anything,” Brooks previously stated. “And I think it’s just because it’s just new to us. The crew seems confident, band sounds fantastic, but all the logistics of it is just a step up for me, a big step up for me.”

Following his big tour, the 56-year-old plans to keep performing, albeit with much smaller crowds, when he takes his music to honky tonk bars all over the country.

“Wouldn’t that be the most fun thing on the planet? Now that would be fun,” Brooks revealed exclusively to PopCulture.com. “Talk about completing the circle. Because when we played [Nashville bar] Layla’s, everything just came back to the circle. And everything was centered on it. And I so enjoyed it. And this music was built for honky tonks.”

Find a list of all of Brooks’ upcoming shows at GarthBrooks.com.

Photo Credit: Getty / Erika Goldring