Taylor Swift Donates $50K to Hero Mom Hit Saving Teen

When Ashley Taunton saw a hydroplaned car on I-95 South in Rhode Island last July, she didn't think twice about pulling over to help.

The 42-year-old certified nursing assistant from Connecticut left her youngest daughter in their car and walked nearly 30 yards to check on the stranded vehicle. She found three shaken teenagers who seemed relatively okay despite their crash.

Then everything changed in an instant. Another car hydroplaned on the wet road and came barreling straight toward them.

Taunton pushed the teen closest to her out of harm's way. The oncoming vehicle struck her instead.

"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."

Her daughter rushed to her side and held her hand until paramedics arrived. In the ambulance, Taunton feared she wouldn't survive.

She was admitted to Rhode Island Hospital with bilateral internal carotid artery dissection, liver and spleen lacerations, multiple rib fractures, and a ruptured diaphragm. Doctors told her recovery could take up to 12 months.

Why This Inspires

This story reminds us that everyday heroes walk among us. Taunton didn't hesitate when she saw someone in trouble because helping others is simply who she is.

Her bravery didn't go unnoticed. After PEOPLE shared her story last week, Taylor Swift donated $50,000 to the family's GoFundMe to help with medical bills and recovery costs.

The teen Taunton saved, Vinny, walked away from the incident. He's alive today because a stranger chose to stop and help.

"I am so in awe of how evident God's hand has been in all of this," Taunton said from her hospital bed. "He just put all the right people in all the right places."

One moment of courage created a ripple of hope that's now reaching around the world.