Expert: Static electricity may have led to fatal Troy hyperbaric chamber explosion

By Kara Berg, Medianews Group

Instantly earlier than the hearth broke out in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber the place the 5-year-old Thomas Cooper was handled on the finish of January, the boy’s knee maybe touched the mattress, making it attainable to construct up static electrical energy and led to the spark that the hearth began, in accordance with an skilled within the area of hyperbaric rooms.

Tuesday witnesses within the 52-4 district court docket of Troy, hyperbaric skilled Francois Burman, who carries out security investigations from recompression and scientific hyperbaric services and a frequent trainer about hyperbaric security topics, Thomas mentioned that Thomas didn’t put on a floor band. Burman mentioned that an earthing belt might have prevented the rapid fireplace from breaking out within the Chamber on January 31, killing the Royal Oak Boy.

“You could possibly see very clearly when he moved the pores and skin of the particular mattress,” mentioned Burman, speaking about his evaluate of the video of the hearth. “I noticed him turning round and his knee appeared to the touch the mattress and that was when the primary spark came about. Inside the subsequent second every part within the room was on fireplace.”

Tamela Peterson, the proprietor and CEO of the Oxford Middle, is accused of second -degree homicide and involuntary manslaughter, along with safety director Jeffrey Mollester and first supervisor Gary Molen.

The operator of the hyperbaric room, Aleta Moffitt, is accused of involuntary manslaughter and the position of false info deliberately a couple of medical file. In the course of the second day, Burman testified to their provisional investigation, the place district choose Maureen McGinnis will resolve whether or not there’s enough proof for them to face.

All 4 are accused of ignoring security protocols and never following the really useful tips of the Hyperbaric Therapy Producer, in accordance with the Michigan Lawyer Common workplace.

It’s normal follow to make use of an earth strap on a affected person in a hyperbaric room, Burman mentioned, and they don’t seem to be allowed to obtain therapy with out one. The belt, together with different grounded areas in and outdoors the room, ensures that it will probably gather so little static electrical energy on the affected person.

Former worker Tiffany Hosey, who was fired after she mentioned she had delivered the protection issues to Peterson and Mosteller, testified on Monday that the Oxford Middle, which owns Peterson, didn’t use earth tires as a result of sufferers acquired therapy in hyperbar rooms.

“Kids usually tend to generate static electrical energy by transferring … and are much less more likely to be in accordance with them to not do one thing,” mentioned Burman. “The danger is simply too excessive. There isn’t any logical purpose to not floor them.”

When Peterson’s lawyer, Gerald Gleeson, requested if there was nonetheless a danger of static electrical energy whereas sporting the belt, and Burman mentioned that it was.

“It is going to significantly cut back it to a degree the place business isn’t involved, however it will probably nonetheless be there, completely,” mentioned Burman.

The Lawyer Common Dana Nessel by Michigan, whose workplace offers with the case, claims that the Oxford Middle ignores security measures within the title of “so-called therapy”.

“Due to many failures by women and men who would name themselves medical professionals and deliberate or intentional contempt for the chance that their actions would trigger the loss of life of a affected person, 5 -year -old Thomas Cooper was killed when a fireplace broke out within the underneath strain, pure oxygen setting within the room,” she mentioned throughout a digital press convention.

Throughout their preliminary steerage, assistant -processor -general Chris Kessel claimed that Maren, with the permission of Peterson, has tampered with the hyperbaric room that exploded to make it look safer than it was. The variety of cycles registered within the Chamber was admitted lower than earlier than, mentioned Kessel.

“It was this one particular machine to which a number of witnesses have established that this suspect was at work, which is actually rolling again figures – I hesitate to make use of this sentence right here, however I do know none that applies – he actually made this a ticking time bomb,” mentioned Kessel.

Hyperbaric rooms create an setting of pure oxygen at increased than regular air strain, in accordance with the Mayo Clinic.

Earlier than the explosion, the Oxford Middle marketed utilizing hyperbaric oxygen room for greater than 60 circumstances on its web site, together with autism spectrum dysfunction, ADHD and Alzheimer’s illness.

Initially revealed: September 17, 2025 at 9:04 am Edt