On the mend. Derek Hough and fiancée Hayley Erbert are recovering after being injured in a car crash earlier this month.
“On December 12, Derek and I got into a pretty scary car accident in the mountains. Our accident involved a steep hill, icy roads, a tree, and worst of all, the fear that we would slide off the mountain,” the So You Think You Can Dance alum, 28, captioned a Friday, December 23, Instagram post. “Given the circumstances, we have so much to be grateful for. First, that there were no other people involved. Second, the quick response from paramedics.”
Erbert — who has been linked to Hough, 37, since 2015 — noted that the twosome are “both OK.” She wrote: “I only walked away a little banged up, a swollen face, and four stitches above my eyebrow. Now, more than ever, we realize how fragile life is and how important it is to love those around you.”
The former Dancing With the Stars troupe member shared footage from the accident, including a hospital selfie after getting stitches in her forehead. Hough, for his part, was terrified to see his fiancée in pain.
“The scariest part was that Hayley doesn’t remember anything,” the DWTS judge wrote via Instagram comment. “She was dazed afterwards, being cheerful saying we should keep going to dinner as blood ran down her face. That really scared me. She came to [sic] 20 minutes later when the firemen arrived.”
Shortly after Hough and Erbert shared the news of their injuries, their dancing colleagues shared prayers for a quick recovery.
“Omg! Thank God you’re both OK. Sending you love and a fast recovery. You’ll be able to chew candy in no time 
,” Cheryl Burke replied on Friday.
Lindsay Arnold added: “Sooo glad you guys are ok! Can’t imagine how scary that was 
.”
As Hough and Erbert continue to recuperate from the incident, they are also gearing up to celebrate their first Christmas as an engaged couple. The World of Dance mentor proposed to his longtime love in June.
“I just love calling her my fiancée,” he exclusively told Us Weekly later that month. “I think that word now feels right to the way I feel and to my commitment to her and to our love and story and life together. … Hayley is The One. I know she’s just going to be an amazing mother and amazing wife and she’s so thoughtful, so caring, so loving.”
The Hairspray Live! star continued at the time: “Just seeing the way she is with our animals, I mean if she’s even a quarter of the way she is with our animals how she is with our kids I just can’t wait to see her be a mom.”
