Taylor Swift has once again underscored her reputation as one of entertainment’s most generous stars.
The pop superstar donated $50,000 to support a Rhode Island good Samaritan who was critically injured last month after stopping to help strangers involved in a highway crash, Our News Outlet can confirm.
Ashley Taunton, 42, was traveling south on I-95 when she came upon the scene of an accident involving a teenage driver whose vehicle had hydroplaned in wet conditions.
Speaking to People, Taunton said the three teens appeared to be a “little bit banged up” when she got out of her own car, where her youngest daughter remained, and went over to check on them.
As the mother-of-three tried to help move the young people out of the rain and away from danger, another vehicle hydroplaned toward the group. Taunton was struck after stepping in to assist.
Taylor Swift contributed $50,000 to aid a Rhode Island good Samaritan who suffered life-threatening injuries after stopping to help people involved in a car accident last month
Ashley Taunton, 42, was driving south on I-95 with her youngest daughter when she noticed the aftermath of a crash involving a teenage driver whose vehicle had hydroplaned
Swift was reportedly moved by Taunton’s story, including how the mother-of-three was injured after pushing one of the teens out of the path of a second vehicle barreling toward them
She continued: ‘I thought, ‘That was it.’ Then in the ambulance as well, I was just praying — I didn’t want to die.’
The country, and Swift, were touched after hearing how Taunton only ended up being hurt when she pushed one of the teens out of the way as the second vehicle barreled towards them.
While the boy named Vinny was okay, the certified nursing assistant suffered internal bleeding.
‘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.’
Taunton’s daughter then rushed to hold her hand as they awaited medical assistance.
Her injuries included bilateral internal carotid artery dissection, liver and spleen lacerations, multiple rib fractures and a ruptured diaphragm.
It’s unclear how much time Taunton will need to spend in hospital recovering from her injuries but she expects that her physical therapy could take up to a year.
With a goal of raising $110,000, by Friday evening the GoFundMe set up in collaboration with her husband Joe had raised more than $64,000.
Her injuries included bilateral internal carotid artery dissection, liver and spleen lacerations, multiple rib fractures and a ruptured diaphragm
The GoFundMe was set up collaboration with her husband Joe. The Meal Train donation has also gathered over $16,000 of a $20,000 goal
Taunton doesn’t know how long it will take to fully recover but physical therapy could be up to a year
The top donation was $50,000 from a donor with the name ‘Taylor Swift.’
The Meal Train donation has gathered over $16,000 of a $20,000 goal.
It was only in the hospital that Taunton realized her connection to Vinny, whose life she helped save.
When Taunton’s friend Jamie O’Rourke spotted her husband Joe and their daughter in the hospital and they explained what had happened, everything came together.
‘Jamie just lost it and was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that was Ashley? She saved my son’s life,’ Taunton recalled being told in the interview with People.
O’Rourke told WPRI about Taunton: ‘She was so courageous to put herself in danger.’
Swift’s big donation comes after it was revealed she and Travis Kelce donated $26 million to at least 20 charities ahead of their July wedding.
The charities benefiting include nine food banks – including one in Swift’s hometown of Reading, Pennsylvania – three children’s hospitals and seven educational programs.
Our News Outlet has reached out to representatives for Swift for comment.
