
Inside Eileen Hendricks’ 1992 Car Accident and ‘DWTS’ Injury
By Johnni Macke | Published: 2025-10-29 21:16:00 | Source: Us Weekly
Ellen Hendricks She has been acting since the 1990s, but this has not always been her main career path. When the actress was injured in a car accident in 1992, her dancing career was halted and she had to change course.
“I think everything happens for a reason, and that pushed me in this direction that totally worked out, thank God,” Hendricks said with a laugh during a July 2016 interview. Huffington Postwhich reflects why she chose to jump into acting first.
It’s been more than three decades since Hendricks was hit by a car while she was riding her bike, but her accident still haunts her. In fact, during season 34 of Dancing with the starsHendricks revealed that the aftermath of the accident makes competing more difficult.
While pushing her physical limits on the ABC competition series, Hendricks was hospitalized with an unrelated injury in October, causing concern among fans. However, Hendrix was given the green light to continue with it DWTS The journey begins with an episode on Tuesday, November 4.
Scroll down to learn more about Hendricks’ car accident DWTS infection:
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“I had just come to Los Angeles to start my professional career, and very shortly after I moved here, I was riding my bike and got hit by a car,” Hendricks said. Huffington Post In July 2016, noting that one moment “changed everything for me.”
During her September DWTS In the opening package, Hendricks revealed that she was “really lucky” to have “walked away” from the incident but did not expand further.
How did her career change after the accident?
Parent trap The star told Huffington Post In July 2016 she began her career as a “classically trained modern and contemporary jazz dancer.” After the accident, Hendricks said, “Dancing became a very painful thing, so it pushed me more in the direction of acting.”
Hendricks recalled booking a few guest starring roles before landing her first series. “That’s when I stopped dancing professionally but I didn’t stop dancing completely,” she told the outlet. “It’s just that when I dance, I have to be prepared for the fact that I’m going to be in a lot of pain and I won’t be able to do the things I used to do, but that’s okay.”
How did Ellen’s accident affect the run of ‘DWTS’?
Hendrix was revealed during an October episode of the show Dancing with the stars After the car accident she suffered in the 1990s, a titanium joint was placed in her right foot. She said during a wicked night that the joint “renders half my foot unusable.”
“Every week, my body turns into a new pain zone, but I don’t want to let that stop me,” the actress explained during the show. “I know my determination will win the title, just getting there is quite a journey.”

Why was Elaine hospitalized on ‘DWTS’ Season 34?
During rehearsals for Halloween week in October, Hendricks was taken to the hospital after she felt pain in her ribs. The contestant was later revealed Via her Instagram that she had injured her ribs while performing “Defying Gravity” one week earlier and that she “just stopped” during training.
“I couldn’t move,” Hendricks said in a video on Tuesday, October 28. “They took me to the hospital.” “The doctor said that with a day or two of rest, I should be able to keep going, and that’s exactly what I want to do. I want to dance, I want to keep doing this.”
Hendrix’s dance partner, Alan Berstenexplained during the October 28 episode that while they were working on the Argentine tango, “Ellen kind of froze and said she couldn’t move and she couldn’t breathe, and something happened to her rib.”
He noted that she was in “extreme pain” and therefore had no idea whether they would be dancing that evening. The pair did not perform and were instead judged on their training routine.
Will Ellen return to ‘DWTS’?
Despite missing Halloween night, Hendricks and Bersten scored 8 points across the board from the judges on October 28. With the votes of the fans, they were saved from elimination. Meanwhile, Hendricks’ doctors allowed her to continue competing.
“You guys voted, we’re going to be safe. We’ve got another dance to (perform),” Bersten confirmed during a TikTok live after the episode. “We’ll take it easy but we’ll get back to the show. We’ll take it easy this week.”
(Tags for translation)Celebrity Health
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