Entertainment TV Lawson Bates' Car Totaled After Accident in Knoxville, Tennessee: 'Grateful to Be OK' "Life can change so fast, and I was quickly reminded of that," Lawson Bates tells PEOPLE in a statement after surviving a car accident in Knoxville, Tennessee By Glenn Garner Glenn Garner Instagram Twitter Glenn Garner is a Writer/Reporter who works heavily with PEOPLE's Movies and TV verticals. Since graduating from Northern Arizona University with a dual major in journalism and photography, he got his professional start at OUT Magazine, The Advocate and Teen Vogue, and he's since consistently kept his finger on the pulse of the LGBTQ community. His first book The Guncle Guide was released in 2020 and was featured on Katie Couric's list of 100 recommended books of the year. People Editorial Guidelines Published on April 22, 2022 03:14 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Lawson Bates/Instagram Lawson Bates is feeling "grateful" after walking away from a car accident unscathed. The Bringing Up Bates star, 29, was involved in a car accident Thursday evening in Knoxville, Tenn. while driving to pick up his fiancée Tiffany Espensen from a wedding planning appointment, Bates' rep tells PEOPLE. "Out of the blue a car turning left onto the main highway slammed into my passenger side," he says in a statement. "I am so grateful I had not picked [Espensen] up yet, as that would've been her seat. Lawson Bates and Fiancée Tiffany Espensen Star in the Ultra-Romantic Music Video for 'Crazy Love' "Life can change so fast, and I was quickly reminded of that. Although the car is completely totaled, I'm feeling very grateful to be ok, and relieved the other driver was alright as well. Definitely grateful for God's protection today!" Bates adds. He and Espensen, 23, got engaged in October when he surprised her with a proposal while they filmed the music video for their collaboration "Crazy Love" in Italy. Lawson Bates/Instagram "Getting to know Tiffany — her heart, her passions, and her dreams — has been the greatest joy of my life, and we have been making so many wonderful memories together over the past year," Bates told PEOPLE at the time. "It has been a roller coaster of a few days so far, from our first stop at the Colosseum in Rome, to a Vespa ride through the Siena countryside, to a lovely evening dinner in San Gimignano, to a horse and carriage ride through Florence — all leading up to the main reason I'm here: asking Tiffany if she would spend the rest of her life by my side," he added. Although she said the engagement was a pleasant surprise, Espensen noted that she started to pick up on some hints. RELATED VIDEO: Bringing Up Bates Star Lawson Bates Is Engaged to Girlfriend Tiffany Espensen: 'We Are Overjoyed' "I knew something was suspicious when Lawson became awfully secretive with texts and planning with others," Espensen said. "However, he still blew me away with this surprise! To travel to Italy for any occasion is a dream, but especially for an engagement." The couple began dating in Feb. 2021 and they later appeared together in Bates' "The Way I See You" music video, which dropped in August.