A suitor from Taylor Frankie Paul's cancelled season of The Bachelorette was the driver in a 2014 car crash that left former Republican congressman Madison Cawthorn paralysed. Brad Ledford, 29, described as a 'handsome California cowboy' in his show bio, was 17 when he fell asleep at the wheel, causing the car to hit a concrete barrier. Cawthorn, then a passenger, had his legs resting on the dashboard and suffered partial paralysis, now using a wheelchair.
Cawthorn, a Trump-backed representative from North Carolina who left Congress in January 2023 after losing the 2022 Republican primary, later claimed that Ledford left him to die in a 'fiery tomb'. Ledford disputed this, stating in a lawsuit deposition that he pulled Cawthorn from the wreckage as the car was engulfed in flames. 'That statement he made was false,' Ledford said. 'I pulled him out of the car the second that I was able to get out of the car.'
After years of legal disputes and estrangement, the two reportedly reconciled. Ledford attended Cawthorn's 2020 election party and told the Washington Post in 2021 that Cawthorn 'didn't believe those things anymore'. The crash and its aftermath have been a point of contention, with even members of Cawthorn's family disputing his account.
Disney cancelled season 22 of The Bachelorette days before its premiere, following the leak of video from Paul's 2023 domestic violence incident. Paul, 31, remains on probation from that incident involving her ex-boyfriend. Ledford, responding to the cancellation on Instagram, said he 'could care less about a TV show not airing right now', expressing concern for the children and family involved.
