Taylor Swift has donated $50,000 to a GoFundMe benefiting Ashley Taunton, a 42-year-old certified nursing assistant from Connecticut who suffered life-threatening injuries after stopping to help a group of teens on a rain-soaked highway last month.
“Wishing you the best recovery possible and sending love to your family!” the “Cruel Summer” singer, 36, wrote alongside her generous donation, signing the message simply, “Taylor.”
Taunton was driving on I-95 South in Rhode Island with her youngest daughter on July 18 when she spotted three teenagers who had been involved in an accident after their vehicle hydroplaned during a severe rainstorm.
“When I see there’s somebody in trouble, I tend to want to go help,” Taunton told People of her decision to pull over.
She left her daughter safely inside her vehicle and approached the teens, who were a “little bit banged up” from the crash.
However, as Taunton attempted to help move the group out of harm’s way, another vehicle lost control on the wet roadway and came barreling toward them.
Taunton managed to push one of the teens out of the vehicle’s path before she was struck herself.
Taunton suffered a number of devastating injuries, including multiple fractured ribs, a ruptured diaphragm, internal bleeding and injuries to her liver and spleen.
She was rushed to Rhode Island Hospital, where she began what could be a year-long recovery process that includes extensive physical therapy.
In a shocking twist, Taunton later discovered that one of the teenagers whose life she helped save was Vinny, the son of her longtime friend Jamie O’Rourke.
Taunton recalled that her friend “just lost it” upon learning who had come to her son’s rescue.
“Oh my gosh, that was Ashley? She saved my son’s life,” Taunton recalled O’Rourke saying.
“She was so courageous to put herself in danger,” O’Rourke separately told local outlet WPRI.
A GoFundMe was subsequently launched to help Taunton, her husband, Joe, and their three children with expenses while she recovers.
Swift’s $50,000 contribution became the fundraiser’s largest individual donation.
The Grammy winner has become well known for opening her wallet to people and organizations in need over the years, frequently making sizable donations to food banks, disaster-relief efforts and fans facing financial hardships.
The frightening ordeal, meanwhile, has given Taunton a new perspective on life.
The mom said she is grateful to be alive and has learned not to take her time with loved ones for granted as she faces the long road to recovery.
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