El Paso Jury Awards $76.5 Million to Family of Trucker Killed in Sleeper Berth When Co-Driver Fell Asleep

Orlando Robles, 38, of El Paso, died at about 4 a.m. on October 28, 2020, on Interstate 40 in Sequoyah County, Oklahoma. He was working as a co-driver for Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT Services LLC), a Las Cruces carrier, and was in the sleeper berth of a tractor-trailer while a company driver, Juan Garcia, drove. Garcia fell asleep at the wheel. The truck drifted onto the shoulder and ran into a box truck that was parked with its emergency flashers on. The impact destroyed the sleeper compartment where Robles was resting, and he was killed.

In July 2026, a jury in El Paso County District Court awarded $76.5 million to Robles' wife, his mother and his five daughters, who were represented by David Glasheen of Glasheen, Valles & Inderman Injury Lawyers. The jury found both MVT and Garcia responsible. Robles' son was represented separately by Tawney, Acosta & Chaparro, led by Alejandro Acosta III, and received his own award of $27.5 million, which brought the total verdict to $104 million.

The trial began on June 30, 2026, nearly six years after the crash. The family's lawyers argued that Garcia spent the night on his cellphone instead of sleeping during his rest time, and was too fatigued to drive when he took the wheel. They also put the company's own rules at issue. MVT's national chief safety officer testified that the company's policy required drivers to rest, not to sleep, and said that you don't need sleep to rest. Under that policy, a driver on a break could watch movies or scroll social media and still be considered rested.

The jury also awarded punitive damages, which Texas law allows when a defendant's conduct is found to be grossly negligent. The son's award included $20 million in compensatory damages and $7.5 million in punitive damages. After the verdict, Glasheen said it was the voice of the community and that El Pasoans had made clear safety comes first. Acosta said professional drivers and trucking companies have a responsibility to keep fatigued drivers off the road.

The case had a long path to trial. An earlier appeal reached the Texas appellate courts, and the Texas Supreme Court declined to take it up before it went back to the trial court for the jury trial.

MVT said its hearts go out to the families affected by the accident and that it is evaluating its appellate options.