Five-Year-Old Incinerated in Tragic Hyperbaric Chamber Explosion in Michigan

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A five-year-old boy named Thomas Cooper was tragically killed when a pressurised oxygen chamber exploded at the Oxford Centre in Detroit, Michigan, on January 31, 2025. According to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, the explosion occurred rapidly, and Thomas was pronounced dead at the scene. His mother, standing nearby, sustained injuries to her arms.

In the aftermath of the incident, four individuals have been charged with various crimes, including second-degree murder. The centre's founder and CEO, Tamela Peterson, along with facility manager Gary Marken and safety manager Gary Mosteller, face charges related to the incident. The chamber's operator, Aleta Moffitt, is charged with involuntary manslaughter and falsifying medical records. Marken's attorney described the murder charge as a "total shock," emphasizing that it was an "accident, not an intentional act."

The boy had undergone multiple hyperbaric therapy sessions for conditions like sleep apnea and ADHD, though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not endorse hyperbaric treatment for these disorders. The Oxford Centre is not among facilities accredited by the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society, as reported by NBC News.

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