Bachelorette contestant from canceled season drove car in wreck that paralyzed Madison Cawthorn

One of the 22 men vying for reality star Taylor Frankie Paul’s heart on the now-cancelled season of ABC’s “The Bachelorette” was the driver in a 2014 crash that left former Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) paralyzed.

Brad Ledford, 29, was set to appear in the franchise’s 22nd season, which ABC shelved last week following domestic violence allegations against the “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star.

Ledford had been described ahead of the season as a “handsome California cowboy” and “fearless romantic” who enjoys “swing dancing, hanging at the beach, and listening to Adele,” according to an archived copy of his ABC biography.

Ledford and Cawthorn, both teenagers at the time, were heading home to North Carolina from a spring break trip in Clearwater, Fla., in April 2014 when Ledford fell asleep at the wheel of his SUV, the Times-News reported at the time.

Their vehicle ran off the road, crashed into a concrete barrier and erupted into flames, leaving Cawthorn – whose legs were reportedly resting on the dashboard – partially paralyzed and in a wheelchair.

Cawthorn claimed in a 2017 speech at Patrick Henry College that his friend left him to die “in a fiery tomb,” a narrative Ledford disputed in a 2021 interview with the Washington Post.

“That statement he made was false,” Ledford told the newspaper. “It hurt very badly that he would say something as false as that. That is not at all what happened. I pulled him out of the car the second that I was able to get out of the car.”

Cawthorn later admitted in a deposition that he had “no memory from the accident.” The pair were estranged for several years but later reconciled, according to the Post.

Cawthorn voluntarily dropped a lawsuit against Ledford in July 2022, months before losing the Republican primary for his House seat to challenger state Sen. Chuck Edwards. Cawthorn had reportedly sought $30 million in damages stemming from the 2014 crash, according to the Asheville Citizen-Times.

It is unclear whether Ledford discussed the crash with Paul or any of his fellow contestants during filming for the “Bachelorette,” but fans likely won’t find out.

ABC scrapped the season just days ahead of its planned March 22 premiere after video surfaced of a 2023 domestic violence incident involving Paul and Dakota Mortensen, the father of her youngest child.

“In light of the newly released video just surfaced today, we have made the decision to not move forward with the new season of ‘The Bachelorette’ at this time, and our focus is on supporting the family,” a statement from Disney Entertainment Television said.

Ledford addressed the cancellation in a post on TikTok this week, saying ABC made the “right decision for right now.”

“I could care less about a TV show not airing right now. There’s real kids involved, real family involved and I want the best for them,” he said in the minute-long video.

“[God’s] forgiven me for many things and he’s already forgiven Taylor, and so I want Taylor to find that peace, and I want her kids to have that peace in the future more than anything, and I think they can,” he added.