Guadalupe County, TX — December 17, 2025, Danae Held was injured in a truck accident at approximately 12:30 p.m. along Exchange Avenue.

According to authorities, 35-year-old Danae Held was traveling in a southwest bound Toyota Camry on Exchange Avenue in the vicinity northeast of the Tri County Parkway intersection when the accident took place.

Officials indicate that, for reasons yet to be confirmed, a sideswipe collision occurred between the right side of the Camry and the left side of an 18-wheeler's trailer.

Held reportedly sustained serious injuries over the course of the accident. Additional details pertaining to this incident are not available at this point in time. The investigation is currently ongoing.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When a passenger vehicle is sideswiped by an 18-wheeler, one of the first things investigators should ask is: Which vehicle was in the wrong lane, and why? Sideswipe collisions don’t just happen—they typically result from a failure to maintain lane position, a careless lane change, or poor spatial awareness by one or both drivers.

At this point, it’s not clear whether the truck moved into the Camry’s lane or the Camry entered the truck’s. That’s a critical piece of information, and it may not be obvious from looking at the scene alone. That’s why cases like this depend so heavily on gathering objective evidence.

To get a clear picture of what happened, investigators should be looking at:

• Dash cam footage, if either vehicle had cameras running. Many trucks are equipped with forward- and side-facing cameras that can confirm lane positions and signal usage.
• ECM (black box) data, which may indicate whether the truck was accelerating, braking, or changing direction at the time of the crash.
• Skid marks and impact angles, which can help reconstruct the point of contact and direction of movement.
• Witness statements or nearby surveillance video, especially on commercial or semi-urban roadways.

In prior cases I’ve handled, sideswipes involving trailers often came down to simple but serious lapses—like failing to check mirrors before merging, underestimating blind spots, or drifting while distracted. Even a few inches of trailer encroaching into an adjacent lane can cause devastating injuries if the truck is moving at speed.

It’s also worth considering whether the truck’s trailer had proper lane markings, reflectors, and functioning side lights. At certain angles and in certain lighting conditions, a trailer can be harder to see than people realize—especially if it's dirty, damaged, or inadequately marked. That doesn’t shift blame, but it can become a contributing factor in how and why these crashes unfold.

Ultimately, we won’t know who is responsible until more evidence comes in. But we can say this: when a large commercial vehicle and a smaller passenger car make contact, the consequences are almost always felt more severely by the car’s occupants—and that makes finding the truth all the more important.

Key Takeaways:

• It's unclear which vehicle entered the other’s lane, making evidence collection critical.
• Dash cams, ECM data, and physical roadway evidence will help clarify how the crash occurred.
• Common causes of truck sideswipes include blind spots, lane drift, or unsafe merges.
• Trailer visibility (markings, reflectors, lights) may also be a factor in how the collision happened.
• A thorough investigation is the only way to determine responsibility and prevent similar incidents.