Jury Awards $1.6 Billion in Fatal West Texas Plant Explosion

PECOS, TX — A South Texas jury has awarded more than $1.6 billion to the families of two workers killed in a 2023 explosion at a West Texas hazardous chemicals facility, marking what is believed to be the largest workplace wrongful death verdict in Texas history.

After a two-week trial, a Starr County jury found Upton Assets LLC negligent in the deaths of Reinaldo Garcia Peña, 57, and Angel Alaffa, 30, who were killed in an Oct. 7, 2023, explosion at the Pecos Liquids Handling Facility in Pecos.

Jurors concluded the company ignored federally required safety regulations tied to its designation as a Process Safety Management facility, which mandates strict protocols for handling highly hazardous materials. Testimony revealed that owner Thomas Oliver Hanks Jr. had never read the facility’s safety manuals and that employees, including managers, lacked proper training.

According to the lawsuit, the explosion occurred when Alaffa attempted to weld a silo that had not been properly cleared of flammable chemicals. When the torch was ignited, the silo exploded.

Evidence presented during the trial detailed a series of safety failures leading up to the blast, including a recent spill of liquid hydrocarbons that was falsely deemed safe by a contractor. The victims’ attorneys said Peña and Alaffa had not received safety training, were not given safety manuals and were equipped with a gas monitor incapable of detecting dangerous vapors. The men also had worked for weeks without pay.

The jury awarded $812 million to Peña’s family, including $101.5 million to his wife and $50.75 million to each of his two daughters in compensatory damages, along with $609 million in punitive damages. Alaffa’s family received $200 million in compensatory damages for his widow, child and parents, plus $609 million in punitive damages.

Upton Assets LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on April 6, two weeks before the jury delivered its unanimous verdict.