Taylor Swift has donated $50,000 toward medical expenses for Ashley Taunton, a Connecticut mother of three critically injured while shielding a stranger during a highway pileup. The contribution supports her GoFundMe campaign, which reached $90,000 of its $110,000 goal as of Monday morning.
Swift left a personal message on the page: “Wishing you the best recovery possible and sending love to your family! Taylor.” Fans have also contributed $13 donations—Swift’s favorite number—to accelerate the campaign.
Taunton was severely injured July 18 when she stopped her vehicle on I-95 during a storm to assist another motorist. Laura Ortelt, a family friend who launched the page, described the incident: “On Saturday, July 18th, during a severe rainstorm on I-95, Ashley did what she always does: she put others before herself. Seeing someone in urgent need after a car accident, she pulled over to help. As Taunton’s husband Joe so perfectly puts it, it was just ‘Ashley doing Ashley things.’”
Ortelt detailed how Taunton sustained injuries: “While she was assisting another vehicle hydroplaned and came hurtling directly toward them, Ashley pushed the other person out of harm’s way, taking the brunt of the impact herself.”
Taunton expressed shock at Swift’s donation on Instagram, stating it was “absolutely mind-blowing and so very humbling.” She also told People magazine in an August 23 interview: “It feels weird if people call me a hero. I’m just a mom. Somebody was hurting. That’s just what you do.”
