Three people were accused of second degree murder after a 5 -year -old boy died when a hyperbaric camera exploded in a medical center in Michigan earlier this year, authorities announced on Tuesday.
Thomas Cooper died on January 31 in the incident at Oxford Center in Troy, authorities said.
The camera contained 100% oxygen, which made it extremely flammable, said Lieutenant Keith Young of the Detroit Fire Department at that time.
Thomas Cooper is seen in a photo published by his family’s lawyers.
Fieger law
The security protocols of the National Fire Protection Association and the manufacturer of the hyperbaric chamber were “completely ignored” at the time of the child’s death, said Michigan Attorney, Dana Nessel.
“Due to many failures of men and women who were called medical professionals, and contempt without intentions or deliberate for the probability that their actions cause the death of a patient: Thomas Cooper was killed,” Nessel said in a presentation with the presentation announcing the charges on Tuesday.
The owner of the Oxford Center, Tamela Peterson, 58, and two other employees of the installation, the security manager Jeffrey Mosteller, 64, and Gary Marken, 65, the main management assistant, have now been accused of second degree murder in relation to his death, said the Office of Nessel.
They also face an alternative charge of involuntary homicide. Nessel said that a jury will ultimately decide if the State has enough evidence to prove the murder position.
Nessel said they trust that the second degree murder position, which is a potential life crime, is appropriate. The position requires that the prosecution show that the defendant “created a very high risk of death or great body damage, knowing that death or damage would be the probable result of their actions.”
The Hyperbaric Chamber operator, 60 -year -old Moffitt fin, also faces an involuntary homicide charge and a position for falsifying medical records, said Nessel’s office.
The Oxford Center in Troy Michigan, 165 Kirts Boulevard, is seen here from Google Maps.
The Oxford Center said it has been cooperating with multiple investigations on the “tragic accident” and is “disappointed” in the decision to present charges.
“The moment of these charges is surprising, since the typical protocol after a fire -related accident has not yet been completed,” said Oxford center in a statement. “There are still outstanding questions about how this happened. However, the Office of the Attorney General proceeded to present positions without those answers.”
“Our highest priority every day is the security and well -being of the children and families we serve, which continues during this process,” the statement added.
The defendants are in custody and will be prosecuted on Tuesday afternoon, said the Office of the District Prosecutor.
His arrest on Monday followed an “extensive and difficult investigation,” said Police Chief of the Troy Police Department, Josh Jones, in a statement.
Thomas was killed “in a matter of seconds” when a single spark seems to have turned on a fire inside the camera, Nessel said. His mother was also injured, authorities said.
“The fires within a hyperbaric chamber are considered a terminal event. Each fire is almost certain that it is fatal, and that is why many essential security procedures and practices have been developed to prevent a fire from occurring,” said Nessel. “Research on this tragedy has revealed how Oxford Center in Troy and several of its key decision makers had security among its lowest considerations in their hyperbaric treatment practice.”
The attorney general of Michigan, Dana Nessel, speaks the third day of the National Democratic Convention (DNC) in Chicago, on August 21, 2024.
Mandel and/AFP
Nessel detailed several security standards that, according to her, were “completely ignored by Oxford Center staff” the day of Thomas’s death. According to Nessel, the investigation found that daily maintenance control was not carried out, the security control prior to immersion was not carried out in Thomas, a “essential” grounding belt was not used, a medical or security supervisor was not used in the premises at the time of treatment and the treatment was not performed by a licensed technician.
According to Nessel, annual inspections of the hyperbaric chamber were not carried out, as suggested by the manufacturer.
“This was an unscrupulous business, which operated powerful machines beyond the expected term of its manufacturers in the children’s bodies, again and again, to provide the so -called non -accredited and discredited treatments, mainly because it brought effective at the door,” said Nessel.
The Oxford Center provides hyperbaric oxygenapia for children with autism, ADHD and autoimmune diseases and other health conditions, said the district prosecutor’s office.
