Taylor Swift donates $50k towards medical bills of American mother seriously injured after being hit by car

An American mother who was struck by a car has expressed her shock and appreciation upon learning pop superstar Taylor Swift had donated $US50,000 ($69,692) towards her medical bills.

In July, Connecticut mother Ashley Taunton, 42, was seriously injured after she left her vehicle to assist a group of teens whose car had veered off the road and crashed in a “severe rainstorm”.

While helping the teens, she was hit by another car that had lost control on the slippery surface, with her daughter and husband remaining in the family’s vehicle.

According to People, the selfless mother — a certified nursing assistant — was admitted to Rhode Island Hospital in with multiple life-threatening injuries, including lacerations to her liver and spleen, fractures to multiple ribs, a ruptured diaphragm, and recalled seeing her ankle “just hanging there”.

A GoFundMe was launched by Ms Taunton’s friend which has raised $US92,704 ($129,263) in six weeks, still short of its $US110,000 target.

The top donation on the page reads “Taylor Swift”, which the mother of three has since confirmed via GoFundMe to be a legitimate donation from the music star.

She expressed her gratitude to the performer via a social media post in recent days.

“Like how 😭 this is absolutely mind-blowing and so very humbling. Taylor Swift you are a beautiful soul I wish I could hug you IRL,” she wrote.

“Maybe the next time you’re in Westerly 😘 I live 20 minutes away 🫶 Thank you Jesus for so many amazing humans. This is unbelievable and I am overwhelmed with gratitude. To God be the glory!”

Ms Taunton’s husband Joe is currently her key caretaker, with donations said to assist with household bills and expenses, travel costs to hospital, and the mother’s extensive medical bills not covered by insurance.

She was made aware of Swift’s generosity via friends, who had informed her husband while the pair were en route to a physical therapy appointment.

“He said, ‘No way. Supposedly Taylor Swift just donated $50,000 to the GoFundMe,’ ” Ms Taunton said.

“Then my stomach flipped and I got tears in my eyes but (I) also was in disbelief. My physical therapist was shocked, and my husband had to walk outside and gather himself.”

Ms Taunton said the donation felt especially personal because she could see Swift’s home from her place of work.

“It is also so surreal to have someone of her status do something so kind and generous for a regular person,” the mother continued.

“We work at a hotel on Misquamicut Beach . . . We can see (Swift’s) house from our work, and her music is always streaming on our device. So this was mind-blowing!”