Taylor Swift donated $50,000 to help Ashley Taunton, a mother of three who was seriously injured after pushing a teen to safety during a highway crash.
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A mother of three swiftly took it upon herself to help teens who hydroplaned during a rainstorm in Rhode Island and were then struck by a car. Now one of music’s biggest names is ready to help her.
According to recent donations sent to a GoFundMe page supporting Ashley Taunton, Taylor Swift seemingly contributed $50,000 to the 42-year-old certified nursing assistant from Connecticut, who was severely injured while driving on I-95 South in Rhode Island on July 18. While she helped a group of teens on the side of the road, another vehicle hydroplaned and hurtled directly toward them.
“Wishing you the best recovery possible and sending love to your family!” reads a comment left by Swift on Aug. 28.
“In a split-second act of pure bravery, Ashley pushed the other person out of harm’s way, taking the brunt of the impact herself,” the GoFundMe description reads. “Because of her selfless courage, Ashley is now facing a very long and difficult road to recovery. She has already undergone two major surgeries in the last 18 hours alone, with more scheduled in the days ahead.”
The fundraiser is going toward medical expenses not covered by insurance, daily household bills and expenses, gas and travel costs for commuting back and forth to the hospital and groceries for Taunton’s three children.
“This is certainly a huge surprise and the generosity of Taylor is well known and appreciated,” the fundraiser’s organizer, Laura Ortelt, told USA TODAY in a statement.
USA TODAY has reached out to Swift’s representative for comment.
With Swift’s boost, the GoFundMe page has now raised more than $74,000 as of Aug. 29.
Ashley Taunton said getting struck by a car ‘felt like a big explosion’
In an interview with People published Aug. 23, Taunton described the moment the car struck her, saying, “It just felt like a big explosion.
“I just remember being on the ground, and I could see my ankle was just hanging there. I went to try to get up, and I couldn’t breathe,” she told the outlet.
Taunton said her daughter rushed to her side and stayed with her until first responders arrived, which “felt like forever.”
“I knew I had internal bleeding,” she said. “I thought, ‘That was it. Then in the ambulance as well, I was just praying; I didn’t want to die.”
Taunton was later hospitalized in Rhode Island and treated for several life-threatening injuries, including bilateral internal carotid artery dissection, liver and spleen lacerations, multiple rib fractures, and a ruptured diaphragm, People reported. She said recovery, which includes physical therapy, could take up to 12 months.
Despite how traumatic the moment was, she said she wouldn’t hesitate to help again, adding, “When I see there’s somebody in trouble, I tend to want to go help.”
She continued: “I am so in awe of how evident God’s hand has been in all of this. He just put all the right people in all the right places to make it so that I’m going to recover.”