An Ector County jury has returned a $49 million verdict against OPG Logistics, LLC and one of its drivers, finding both grossly negligent in the 2025 18-wheeler crash that killed 29-year-old Steffan Robert Mick on his drive home from work outside Midland. The verdict, returned May 21, 2026, in the 244th Judicial District Court of Texas, includes $40.5 million in compensatory damages and $8.5 million in punitive damages, after jurors found the defendants acted with "conscious indifference" to public safety. The Mick family was represented by Rob Ammons of The Ammons Law Firm in Houston. Defense was handled by Kurt Paxson and Stephanie Poore of Mounce, Green, Myers, Safi, Paxson & Galatzan.
Case at a Glance
- Verdict: $49 million ($40.5M compensatory + $8.5M punitive)
- Case Type: 18-Wheeler Wrongful Death, Gross Negligence
- Court: 244th Judicial District Court, Ector County, Texas (Judge Lori Ruiz-Crutcher)
- Case Number: C25020166CV
- Verdict Date: May 21, 2026
- Plaintiffs: Kayla Callahan (widow, individually and as estate representative); Kevin Mick (father); Jennifer Mick (mother)
- Decedent: Steffan Robert Mick, 29
- Defendants: OPG Logistics, LLC; Biorkys Sanchez Fernandez
- Fault Apportionment: OPG Logistics 65%, Sanchez 35%
- Trial Length: 3 days
- Plaintiff Attorney: Rob Ammons (The Ammons Law Firm, Houston)
What Happened on FM 307?
On January 27, 2025, Steffan Mick was driving home from work along FM 307 near Midland, Texas, when an 18-wheeler operated by OPG Logistics turned left across his path. The driver, Biorkys Sanchez Fernandez, failed to yield the right of way. Mick, the husband of Kayla Callahan and father to a young daughter and son, was killed in the collision.
"Steffan Mick was 29 years old, driving home from work, within the speed limit, with his seatbelt on and his headlights on," Ammons said following the verdict.
Why Did the Jury Award Punitive Damages?
To award punitive damages under Texas law, a jury must find that a defendant acted with malice or gross negligence, a higher bar than ordinary negligence. The Ector County jury cleared that bar against both OPG and its driver, returning $8.5 million in exemplary damages on top of the $40.5 million compensatory award. Jurors specifically found that the defendants acted with "conscious indifference" to public safety.
The compensatory award was apportioned 65 percent against OPG Logistics and 35 percent against Sanchez, reflecting the jury's view that the company's failures created the conditions for the driver's negligence.
The Safety Program OPG Did Not Have
Plaintiff's counsel argued the case was less about a single bad turn than about a trucking company that put drivers on public roads without any real safety infrastructure. According to evidence presented at trial, OPG Logistics operated under its USDOT number without:
- A driver training manual
- A safety manual
- Written safe-driving policies and procedures
- Instructional videos
- Third-party safety training
- Group safety meetings
- Periodic driver performance reviews
Trial evidence also showed Sanchez had exceeded federal hours-of-service limits, driving more than 12 hours and remaining on duty more than 15 hours in the period leading up to the crash, and had falsified his Records of Duty Status.
"OPG Logistics had no real safety program, no driver training infrastructure and no meaningful system for making sure its drivers followed mandatory hours-of-service rules," Ammons told the press after the verdict.
What the Plaintiff's Counsel Said
Ammons framed the verdict as a message to motor carriers cutting corners on basic safety compliance.
"When a trucking company chooses to operate that way, the danger to the public is obvious and the consequences can be devastating," he said.
Mick's widow, Kayla Callahan, addressed the human stakes directly. "Steffan was a husband, a father and a son. Our family will live with this loss every day," she said.
Defense counsel Kurt Paxson, who had asked the jury to limit any award to roughly $5 million, did not respond to press requests for comment after the verdict, according to The Texas Lawbook.
Why This Verdict Matters for Trucking Litigation
The $49 million result is the latest in a string of nuclear verdicts against trucking defendants in Texas. For the plaintiff bar, the case is a clean illustration of the corporate-conduct theory that has driven those verdicts: prove that the carrier failed to build a basic safety program, then let punitive damages do the work the compensatory number alone cannot.
OPG Logistics's collectibility status is uncertain. FreightWaves has reported the company may no longer be operating, which puts the focus on insurance limits and any umbrella coverage rather than the company's balance sheet. Even so, the verdict itself reframes the negotiating posture for plaintiff attorneys facing under-resourced motor carriers in the state.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is a "nuclear verdict" in a trucking case?
A nuclear verdict is a jury award of $10 million or more, most often used to describe outsized awards against corporate defendants in catastrophic-injury and wrongful-death cases. In trucking cases, nuclear verdicts have become more common as plaintiff attorneys focus on systemic safety failures by the carrier, not just driver error. The $49 million award against OPG Logistics sits comfortably in that category.
Q: How are punitive damages different from compensatory damages?
Compensatory damages reimburse the family for measurable losses, including the value of the decedent's life to his survivors, lost financial support, and pain and suffering. Punitive damages are designed to punish the defendant and deter similar conduct, and Texas law requires a higher showing of malice or gross negligence to award them. Here, jurors awarded $40.5 million compensatory plus $8.5 million punitive after finding "conscious indifference" to public safety.
Q: What does the 65/35 fault apportionment mean for the defendants?
A Texas jury apportions responsibility among defendants when more than one party is found at fault. The Ector County jury assigned 65 percent of responsibility to OPG Logistics and 35 percent to driver Biorkys Sanchez Fernandez. That split governs how the compensatory portion of the judgment is allocated between the two defendants. The split also signals the jury's view that the company's systemic safety failures, not just the driver's left turn, drove the loss.
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