In the quiet hours before dawn on April 29, 2025, a devastating tragedy unfolded at the Port Arthur LNG construction site in Sabine Pass, Texas, claiming the lives of three workers and leaving two others injured. Felix Jose Lopez, 42, of Pearland, Felipe Mendez, 25, of Houston, and Reginald Magee, 41, of Houston, were killed when a scaffolding structure collapsed, plunging them an estimated 65 to 85 feet to their deaths. For Lopez’s eldest son, Felix Jr., the loss was compounded by unimaginable grief: he was working alongside his father at the site and witnessed the fatal fall. The incident, described as a “tank jump form system incident at elevation” by the site’s contractor, Bechtel, has sparked a wave of legal action and renewed scrutiny of workplace safety at the $13 billion liquefied natural gas facility.
The Bernsen Law Firm, based in Jefferson County, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of Reginald Magee’s family, marking the first local legal action in response to the accident. Magee, a father of two, was described by his attorney, Cade Bernsen, as a devoted provider whose children had eagerly anticipated spending their summer with him. The lawsuit, filed in the 295th Texas Judicial District Court under Judge Donna Roth, targets multiple entities, including Sempra Infrastructure, ConocoPhillips, Port Arthur LNG, and Bechtel, alleging negligence in maintaining safe working conditions. The Magee family is seeking damages exceeding $10 million to address the profound loss of their loved one and the financial stability he provided.
Simultaneously, Houston-based attorney Ryan Zehl of Zehl & Associates is representing the families of Felix Lopez and Felipe Mendez, as well as Lopez’s son, Felix Jr., and injured worker Marcos Ramirez. Their lawsuit, filed in Harris County District Court, names additional defendants, including Port Arthur LNG, LLC, Port Arthur LNG Phase II, LLC, Sempra LNG Holding Company, and Fagioli, Inc. The plaintiffs are seeking at least $1 million in damages, citing a range of negligent acts, such as the failure to ensure safe scaffolding construction and inadequate warnings about hazardous conditions. The emotional toll on the Lopez family is particularly acute, with Felix Jr.’s trauma of witnessing his father’s death adding a heartbreaking dimension to their claim. Zehl emphasized the preventable nature of the incident, noting that Mendez, only 25, left behind a wife and six-month-old daughter, while Lopez’s four children now face a future without their father.
A third lawsuit, representing survivor Martin Macedo, is being pursued by law firms in Houston and Corpus Christi, though details of this case remain less publicized. The two surviving workers, Ramirez and Macedo, were treated for minor injuries and released from a local hospital, but the psychological and physical scars of the incident linger.
The Port Arthur LNG project, a joint venture between Sempra Infrastructure and ConocoPhillips, is a cornerstone of Texas’s energy infrastructure, with commercial operations for its first and second phases slated for 2027 and 2028, respectively. Bechtel, the global engineering and construction firm contracted for the project, has suspended all work at the site pending a thorough investigation. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, in collaboration with Bechtel and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), is conducting a methodical inquiry to determine the cause of the scaffolding malfunction. Authorities have yet to confirm whether the workers were equipped with safety harnesses or if the scaffolding met regulatory standards.
In statements released after the accident, both Sempra Infrastructure and Bechtel expressed condolences to the affected families and pledged full cooperation with the ongoing investigations. Bechtel’s media relations manager, Luke Miller, underscored the company’s commitment to supporting impacted workers and ensuring site safety, while Sempra highlighted the project’s economic contributions, including $40 million invested in Jefferson County communities since 2015. However, these assurances have done little to quell the anguish of the victims’ families or the growing calls for accountability.
The lawsuits allege systemic failures, from inadequate scaffolding design to insufficient oversight, that led to the catastrophic collapse. The Bernsen firm has secured a temporary restraining order to preserve the accident site, ensuring critical evidence remains intact for the investigation. As the legal battles unfold, the tragedy has cast a shadow over the Port Arthur LNG project, raising urgent questions about worker safety in high-risk industrial environments. For the families of Felix Lopez, Felipe Mendez, and Reginald Magee, the pursuit of justice is not only a quest for compensation but a demand for answers to prevent future losses. The community of Sabine Pass, and indeed the nation, awaits the findings of the investigation, hoping for clarity and change in the wake of this preventable disaster.