Background: Thomas Cooper (GoFundMe). Inset: The Oxford Center where he died after a hyperbaric chamber exploded (Google Maps).
A 5-year-old Michigan boy died when the hyperbaric chamber he was in exploded, and now his family has hired a lawyer to explore legal options.
In Troy, a suburb of Detroit, emergency responders rushed to the Oxford Center medical facility after reports of an explosion before 8 a.m. on a Friday. Tragically, they discovered the lifeless body of Thomas Cooper in a hyperbaric chamber. His mother, who was present at the time, also sustained injuries.
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Following the harrowing incident, the family decided to enlist the services of prominent lawyer Geoffrey Fieger, known for representing Dr. Jack Kevorkian and the families affected by the 2021 Oxford High School shooting. James Harrington, Fieger law’s managing partner, expressed deep sympathy for the family and urged both the public and media to respect their privacy during this trying period.
Harrington emphasized the gravity of the situation, underscoring the paramount importance of child safety. He highlighted the pressing need to scrutinize hyperbaric chambers, as well as the supervision and regulation surrounding hyperbaric treatments. The legal team continues to delve into all aspects of the case and promises to disclose their findings in due course.
Meanwhile, investigators are trying to determine what caused the explosion. While uncommon, the chamber contains 100 percent oxygen inside, which makes it highly combustible. It’s unclear why the boy needed to be inside the chamber, but it is typically used for carbon monoxide poisoning, decompression sickness or inflammatory bowel diseases, among other uses, according to the National Library of Medicine.
The Oxford Center specifically treats children in hyperbaric chambers, its website says. Tami Peterson, the founder and CEO, started the business after after a chamber helped her 9-year-old daughter recover from viral encephalitis, which is an inflammation of the brain.
“The safety and wellbeing of the children we serve is our highest priority,” the center said in a statement to the Associated Press. “Nothing like this has happened in our more than 15 years of providing this type of therapy. We do not know why or how this happened and will participate in all of the investigations that now need to take place.”
A GoFundMe for Thomas has raised over $40,000 as of Sunday. The heartfelt tribute described Thomas as an active boy who enjoyed books, particularly James the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
“He was the smartest and cutest kid that liked to zoom, zoom, zoom,” the fundraiser said. “He asked to see pictures of germs, liked to know how things worked, he liked to make field journals and he had finally started adding facial features to his people drawings.”
It continued: “Before his passing, he asked for a Chinese red pocket money for the new year. He placed it underneath his pillow and declared “he’d have the best luck ever!” The day of his passing was the day he was planning to spend his red pocket with his little brother.”
