Jefferson County — Investigators have released the names of the three men killed in the scaffolding accident Tuesday at Port Arthur LNG, and law firms are filing wrongful death lawsuits on behalf of the family members of two workers who died. Lawsuits also seek damages for the two men who survived.

They victims who died are identified as: Felix Jose Lopez, 42, Pearland; Felipe Mendez, 25, Houston; and Reginald Magee. 41, Houston.

They died and two men were hurt following an industrial accident at the Port Arthur LNG site under construction on South Gulfway Drive (Highway 87), just past the Intracoastal Canal Bridge and within Port Arthur’s city limits, according to Capt. Crystal Holmes with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

She says just before 2 a.m. Tuesday, it appears scaffolding gave way and two employees fell to their deaths.

Justice of the Peace Brad Burnett was on site shortly after it happened. He tells KFDM/Fox 4 News the three men plunged an estimated 65-85 feet when there was some type of malfunction of the scaffolding.

Burnett says Lopez and Mendez died at the scene. Magee was rushed to CHRISTUS St. Elizabeth Hospital where he died at about 3:30 a.m.

Two other men on the scaffolding didn’t fall and were treated and released from a hospital for minor injuries.

Attorney Ryan Zehl of Zehl & Associates is filing a lawsuit against ConocoPhillips Company, and Port Arthur LNG, LLC, among others, on behalf of the Lopez and Mendez families, and Lopez’ son, whom they say was also working at the site and witnessed his father’s death. They’re also representing Marcos Ramirez, who survived. The court is 295th Texas Judicial District Court with Judge Donna Roth overseeing the case.

Law firms in Houston and Corpus Christi are filing suit on behalf of Martin Macedo, the second survivor.

A former employee of Port Arthur LNG who now works at another plant in Orange County spoke with KFDM about the tragedy.

“All of us on these other jobs, that can be an eye-opener, because it’s done got around to every project on the Gulf Coast, I promise you,” Taylor Mitchell told KFDM/Fox 4 News. “They got all these rules and safety measures in place on every job, but at the end of the day, anything can happen at a split second. It’s all like a family you know, a brotherhood. It’s just tough to hear. We’re not guaranteed our next breath in the morning when we wake up. That’s up to the good Lord, but especially at work trying to provide for our families. It’s really sad and tragic.”

The Port Arthur Fire Department and City Ambulance responded.

The Sheriff’s Office has detectives on scene and OSHA will investigate.

Capt. Holmes tells KFDM/Fox 4 News it’s important to note that it’s undetermined what caused the malfunction that led to the death of the three workers. JCSO and Bechtel are fully investigating, and she says Bechtel has accomodated JCSO in every step of the investigation. The Sheriff’s Office is still in the process of notifying family members and no names will be released until at least Wednesday.

Port Arthur LNG is a joint venture between Sempra Infrastructure and ConocoPhillips. Sempra Infrastructure and Bechtel released statements about the fatal accident.

Statement from Luke Miller, Manager of Media Relations for Bechtel

We are deeply saddened to confirm a tank jump form system incident occurred at elevation on April 29 at the Port Arthur LNG construction site, resulting in three fatalities and two injuries. Our thoughts are with the families and our colleagues affected by this tragic incident.

All work at the site was immediately stopped following the incident, and we have sent all craft professionals home early to be with their families during this difficult time. We are cooperating fully with local authorities as investigations continue and have launched our own internal review. Supporting those impacted and ensuring site safety remain our top priorities.

Further information will be shared as it becomes available.

Statement from Sempra Infrastructure

At approximately 2 a.m. on Tuesday, April 29, an incident occurred at the Port Arthur LNG construction site involving employees of engineering, procurement and construction contractor, Bechtel. Three fatalities have been reported and two others who were injured have been released from the hospital. Our condolences go out to the families of those who lost their lives as well as those who are injured. Bechtel has suspended work on the site while the incident is investigated. Bechtel is working with the applicable regulatory agencies and local authorities to investigate the situation and will provide further updates as they become available.

From Port Arthur LNG website

About Port Arthur LNG

Port Arthur LNG Phase 1, which is currently under construction, represents a $13 billion investment in new energy infrastructure in Texas that will stimulate local, regional, and national economies by creating U.S. jobs, supporting small businesses and strengthening the U.S. natural gas sector’s leadership position as a reliable partner in building energy security worldwide.

The natural gas liquefaction and export terminal in Jefferson County, Texas has direct access to the Gulf of Mexico via the Sabine-Neches ship channel. The Port Arthur LNG Phase 1 facility is designed to include two natural gas liquefaction trains, two liquified natural gas (LNG) storage tanks and associated facilities with a nameplate capacity of approximately 13 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa).

Port Arthur LNG Phase 1 is a joint venture project between Sempra Infrastructure and ConocoPhillips and has long term, fully subscribed capacity with ConocoPhillips, RWE Supply and Trading, PKN Orlen S.S., INEOS and Engie S.A.

The expected commercial operation dates for Train 1 and Train 2 are 2027 and 2028, respectively.

Construction

Construction on the project began shortly after a positive final investment decision was reached in March 2023. Sempra Infrastructure contracted with global engineering, procurement and construction firm Bechtel Energy Inc. for the construction of the project.

Port Arthur LNG remains committed to supporting the community through initiatives that focus on economic prosperity, increasing opportunities and climate action. Since 2015, Port Arthur LNG has invested more than $40 million to support Jefferson County communities, including working with local vendors to procure materials and services for the relocation of a 3.5-mile portion of Highway 87 and on grants to more than 60 local non-profits, schools and business development groups. The Port Arthur LNG project is expected to create an estimated 5,000 highly skilled jobs during construction and boost the economies in Port Arthur and Jefferson County.