Taylor Swift has quietly stepped in to support a Connecticut mother facing a lengthy recovery after she was struck by a car while helping teenagers involved in a highway crash. The 36-year-old singer donated $50,000 to a GoFundMe created for Ashley Taunton, a certified nursing assistant, wife, and mother of three. The donation came as Taunton continues recovering from several life-threatening injuries she sustained while pushing a teenager out of the path of an oncoming vehicle.
Swift’s sizable contribution appeared on the family’s crowdfunding page, along with a message wishing Taunton and her loved ones well. TMZ first reported the donation, and PEOPLE later confirmed it.
Taunton was driving along I-95 South in Rhode Island with her youngest daughter in July when she noticed a crash ahead. Rather than drive past, she stopped to offer assistance. “When I see there’s somebody in trouble, I tend to want to go help,” Taunton told PEOPLE.
She parked about 30 yards from the crash and told her daughter to stay in the vehicle while she called Taunton’s husband. Taunton then approached the stranded car, where she found a teenage driver and two other young passengers. According to the mother, the teenagers were “a little bit banged up, but seemed relatively okay.”
Hero Mom Pushed Teen Out Of Oncoming Car’s Path
The situation changed suddenly when another vehicle lost control on the wet highway. According to a crash report Taunton shared with PEOPLE, the driver hydroplaned while traveling in the second southbound lane of I-95. As the vehicle moved toward the group, Taunton pushed the teenager standing closest to her out of its path. She later learned that his name was Vinny.
Taunton was unable to escape and was struck by the oncoming car. “It just felt like a big explosion,” Taunton told PEOPLE. “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.”
Her daughter rushed to her side and held her hand until emergency responders arrived. Taunton was transported to Rhode Island Hospital, where doctors treated her for bilateral internal carotid artery dissection, liver and spleen lacerations, multiple fractured ribs and a ruptured diaphragm.
At the time she spoke about the collision, doctors had not determined when she would be discharged. Her recovery, including physical therapy, was expected to take up to 12 months.
Ashley Taunton Discovered A Personal Connection To The Teen
Taunton later learned that Vinny was not a complete stranger. She had met him in 2020 and had been friends with his mother, Jamie O’Rourke, for 14 years. O’Rourke discovered the connection after spotting Taunton’s husband and daughter walking through the hospital.
When O’Rourke learned why the family was there, she realized Taunton was the woman who had pushed her son out of danger. “Jamie just lost it and was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that was Ashley? She saved my son’s life,’ ” Taunton recalled being told.
O’Rourke later praised her friend’s selfless actions while speaking with CBS affiliate WPRI. “She was so courageous to put herself in danger,” she said.
Fundraisers Rally Around The Mother Of Three
Swift’s $50,000 donation significantly boosted the campaign supporting Taunton and her family. The GoFundMe had raised more than $73,000 as of Saturday, August 29. The financial support is expected to help the family as Taunton faces months of medical care, rehabilitation and physical therapy.
Despite the severity of her injuries, Taunton said she remained grateful to have survived. “I am so in awe of how evident God’s hand has been in all of this,” she told PEOPLE. “He just put all the right people in all the right places.”
The Accident Changed How Taunton Views Life
Taunton said the ordeal has caused her to reconsider how she spends time with friends and family.
“Life is very busy and it’s easy to postpone plans like, especially with friends and loved ones,” she said. “I don’t want to do that anymore. I want to make sure that I am taking time, even if it’s just going to grab a coffee with a friend, because we never know how you’re going to leave this earth.”
Swift has not publicly commented on the donation.
