Taylor Swift Invites Fan Backstage Who Was Struck by an SUV Outside Her Concert
Taylor Swift took some time out of her busy tour schedule recently to meet with a young fan who was severely injured outside one of her concerts last month.
Seven-year-old Grace Markel and her father were exiting a taxi outside Taylor's tour venue in Chicago on Aug. 10 when the young girl was struck by a passing SUV. The vehicle's driver was uninsured and had a suspended license. So instead of catching her idol in concert, Grace spent two days in a nearby hospital with injuries including two skull fractures, a left orbital fracture, head lacerations and a serious concussion. Road rash covered her face and body.
It has been a difficult recovery, but Grace stayed positive throughout, her parents said. They decided to celebrate their daughter's amazing progress with a special treat: Last Saturday (Sept. 21), they took her to Taylor's Nashville concert, where she got to meet her idol too!
The singer greeted the family backstage before the show. "Taylor greeted Grace by her name and immediately knelt down and hugged her," Grace's mom, Amy, tells People. "She told Grace she had a cold and asked Grace to sing extra loud to help her out."
"[The meeting] was just a warm and genuine exchange that made it feel like time has stopped, and it was just the two of them," Amy says.
The delighted Grace got hugs from and pictures with Taylor, and in even more good news, just has been given the all-clear from her doctors!