Garth Brooks sends gift box to fan who crashed before concert

MEMPHIS, TN (WMC) - A Mid-South teenager is still recovering from a serious crash while on his way to see his favorite singer Garth Brooks.

The crash prompted the social media hashtag #GarthGoSeeJake, and the musician heard the message.

February 2 was the night Jake Stroud was finally going see Garth Brooks in concert at FedExForum.

He was running a fever that day, but nothing was going to stop him from the concert--until he fell asleep at the wheel while driving to pick up his girlfriend.

"Woke up going down the hill and saw what I was about to hit and then I just went back out," Jake said.

Jake has several large scars from the four surgeries he had after the accident, but considering what his truck looked like after the crash, he thinks he's lucky.

"I mean, I could be dead right now," Jake said.

After the crash, his friends and family started an online campaign #GarthGoSeeJake. Tens of thousands of people spread the message all over the country on Twitter and Facebook.

"I didn't know people and they were like praying for me and using the hashtag and all that," Jake said.

However, Garth wasn't able to make it to see him in person, so instead Jake got something else.

A box full of memorabilia arrived weeks after the crash with a little bit of everything: T-shirts, CDs, DVDs, hats, you name it.

"I was just shocked with as many things as he sent me," Jake said. "He didn't have to do anything for me. I was just going to his concert. Just shows you what kind of person he is and they are and everybody else is."

Jake got so much, he almost didn't believe it was real.

"Now I didn't have to look up the signatures on the picture to make sure it was real. And yeah, it's real," Jake said.

Even though it all worked out for the best, Jake says he would give this all back just to have made it safely to that concert.

"If you're sick and you're taking cold medicine, it doesn't mix with driving," Jake said.

Jake will have to wait a little bit longer to see Garth Brooks live in concert. but when he does, he'll definitely have a lot of shirts to choose from.

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