4 people charged after 5-year-old dies in hyperbaric chamber explosion

TROY, Mich. (TCN) -- The Michigan attorney general announced charges against four people after a 5-year-old boy died in a hyperbaric chamber explosion earlier this year.

On Jan. 31 at 7:54 a.m., the Troy fire and police departments responded to a medical facility after learning that a child was inside the oxygenized chamber when it exploded. Officials pronounced the boy deceased at the scene. The Troy Fire Department said the hyperbaric chamber is 100% oxygen, so the "presence of such a high amount of oxygen in a pressurized environment can make it extremely combustible."

The Michigan Attorney General’s Office said in a statement that the center where the explosion occurred "provides therapy for children with various health conditions, including autism, ADHD, and autoimmune diseases, through Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy."

The victim, Thomas Cooper, was there for treatment when the chamber caught fire from the interior and exploded. The attorney general’s office said there are "strict safety protocols that must be followed before treatment," but they allege the "standards were deliberately discarded at the time of Cooper’s death."

The center’s owner Tamela Peterson, safety manager Jeffrey Mosteller, and primary management assistant Gary Marken are all charged with second-degree murder or, alternately, involuntary manslaughter. The operator of the hyperbaric chamber, Aleta Moffitt, is charged with involuntary manslaughter and medical records — intentionally placing false information on chart.

Attorney General Dana Nessel said, "This tragedy could have been prevented if proper safety protocols were followed. Instead, deliberate negligence and a blatant disregard for safety cost a child his life."

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