Taylor Swift has donated $50,000 to a Connecticut mother who suffered life-threatening injuries after stopping during a severe rainstorm to help teenagers involved in a highway crash—and then pushing one of them out of the path of another vehicle.

Ashley Taunton, a 42-year-old mother of three from Ledyard, Connecticut, was recovering from multiple surgeries when the massive contribution appeared on a GoFundMe established to help her family with expenses stemming from the July 18 crash.

Alongside the $50,000 donation, Swift left Taunton and her family a personal message.

“Wishing you the best recovery possible and sending love to your family!” Swift wrote.

For Taunton, the unexpected support from one of the world's biggest music stars came after a split-second decision on Interstate 95 nearly cost her life.

She Stopped to Help During a Rainstorm

Taunton was traveling on I-95 in Rhode Island on July 18 during heavy rain when she came across the aftermath of a crash in Hopkinton.

She had been driving home to Connecticut with her 14-year-old daughter after visiting family in Newport when she noticed a vehicle that had crashed into the woods along the highway. Taunton pulled over, told her daughter to remain in their vehicle and went to check on the people involved.

Three teenagers were getting out of the crashed vehicle. According to Taunton, they were mostly OK but had suffered some scrapes and other minor injuries.

Then someone nearby yelled that another vehicle was coming.

A second car had hydroplaned and was heading toward the group.

According to the family's fundraiser, Taunton pushed one of the teenagers out of the vehicle's path and took the brunt of the impact herself.

The teenager she helped was 19-year-old Vinny O'Rourke. Taunton didn't recognize him at the scene, but her family later discovered an extraordinary connection: O'Rourke was the son of one of her longtime friends. Taunton said she hadn't seen him since he was about 13 years old.

She had unknowingly risked her life to save the son of someone she had known for years.

Taunton Suffered Life-Threatening Injuries

The impact left Taunton severely injured.

Her husband, Joe Taunton, said she suffered extensive internal injuries along with a devastating injury to her leg. Her injuries included damage to her intestines, liver lacerations and a ruptured diaphragm that caused one of her lungs to collapse.

Taunton later recalled seeing the extent of the damage to her lower leg while she was still lying alongside the highway. Because she previously worked as a certified nursing assistant, she also recognized signs that she could be suffering from internal bleeding.

Emergency crews initially transported her to Westerly Hospital before she was transferred to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, where doctors discovered the extent of her internal injuries.

Taunton ultimately underwent three surgeries and spent 30 days hospitalized. On Aug. 17, she announced that she had finally returned home to continue her recovery.

The process is far from over. Taunton has said doctors expect her full recovery could take between 12 and 24 months as she continues physical therapy and medical appointments.

Then Taylor Swift's Name Appeared on the Fundraiser

Friends created a GoFundMe to help Taunton, her husband and their three children through what organizers described as a long and difficult recovery.

Then came a contribution nobody in the family expected.

Taylor Swift donated $50,000.

By Aug. 31, the fundraiser had surpassed $90,000 from more than 1,200 donors, meaning Swift's contribution alone accounted for more than half of the money raised at that point.

Taunton was stunned.

“This is absolutely mind-blowing and so very humbling,” she wrote while reacting to the donation.

Taunton also thanked Swift publicly on Instagram, calling the singer a “beautiful soul” and joking that she hoped she might be able to hug her in person someday.

There is a geographic connection between the two women as well. Swift owns a home in Westerly, Rhode Island, roughly 20 minutes from where Taunton lives in Ledyard, according to Taunton.

But the size of Swift's contribution wasn't the only thing that moved the family.

After the singer's donation attracted widespread attention, Swift fans began making their own contributions, including a wave of $13 donations—a reference to Swift's famously significant favorite number. Taunton said seeing those smaller contributions arrive alongside Swift's gift was also meaningful.

For the Taunton family, the fundraiser is helping support a recovery that began with an act requiring almost no time to consider.

Ashley saw strangers who needed help on the side of a highway and stopped.

When another vehicle came toward them, she moved someone else out of its path.

More than a month later, while recovering from injuries that could take another year or longer to fully heal, that act of bravery reached Taylor Swift.

And Swift responded with $50,000 and a simple wish for the woman who nearly lost her life helping someone else: the best recovery possible.