Taylor Swift is once again proving that acts of kindness can change lives. The 36-year-old singer has donated $50,000 to a Connecticut family after the mom was hit by a car while helping three teenagers who had crashed
Ashley Taunton, a 42-year-old certified nursing assistant, wife,, and mom of three from Connecticut, was driving on I-95 South in Rhode Island in July 2026 when she noticed an accident up ahead.
She pulled over and realized the car had hydroplaned with three teens inside. The teens were okay, but she stopped to help and was then hit herself by another car hydroplaning in the same spot.
© Ashley Taunton"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," friend Laura Ortelt shared as she launched a GoFundMe for the family as "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."
© Getty ImagesOn August 5, 20256, Laura gave an update revealing that there had been unexpected setbacks, with Ashley developing a "small bowel obstruction which unfortunately has required her to have the NG tube implanted once again."
The funds are helping the family with travel costs between RI Hospital and home, as well as daily bills and expenses, meals, and medical expenses. They have set a goal of $110,000.
© taylor SwiftTaylor has become known for acts of generosity throughout her two decades in the spotlight.
She spent many years helping fans by donating cash gifts to those who needed support across education, housing, or medical bills, and in recent years has made large donations to national organizations.
During the Eras Tour, which ran from March 2023 to December 2024, she gave money to food banks in every single city she performed in, and in January 2025 she gave "generous" donations to ten different organizations who were helping families in the wake of the Los Angeles fires.
In December 2025 Taylor made sizable donations to three key organizations — MusiCares, Feeding America and the American Heart Association – and days before her July 3 2026 wedding to Travis Kelce, the pair to a group of 20 charities, including NYC-based Education Through Music, which received $2 million.
© Getty ImagesEducation Through Music CEO Janice Weinman told HELLO! that they were "extremely grateful for their generosity and their interest for other people and their caring, so it's a wonderful feeling to be on the receiving end."
"I think that Taylor Swift, in advance of this, has generally spoken about the fact that at her wedding, she didn't want gifts, she would rather give money to worthy causes. So we certainly knew about it, but we weren't actually expecting it. I think that that's very much an expression of what her celebration means to her and what she wants it to mean to other people."
