Troy hyperbaric chamber explosion: 4 employees due in court Wednesday
Hyperbaric chamber explosion hearing scheduled
Four employees of the Oxford Center in Troy will be in court Wednesday for a probable cause conference stemming from a hyperbaric chamber explosion that killed 5-year-old Thomas Cooper.
TROY, Mich. (FOX 2) - Four employees of a Troy medical facility where a hyperbaric chamber explosion killed a child earlier this year are due in court Wednesday.
Oxford Center CEO and founder Tamela Peterson, her management assistant Gary Marken, the center's safety manager Jeffrey Mosteller, and the person who was operating the chamber, Aleta Moffitt, are scheduled for a probable cause conference at 9 a.m.
Peterson, Marken, and Mosteller were charged with second-degree murder, along with alternative counts of involuntary manslaughter, which would let a jury decide which charges fit the case. Moffitt was charged with involuntary manslaughter and intentionally placing false information on a medical record as a medical provider.
Tamela Peterson, left, Gary Marken, Jeffrey Mosteller and Aleta Moffitt.
The backstory:
Thomas Cooper,5, was in a hyperbaric chamber at the center in late January when it exploded, killing him and badly injuring his mother.
Months after the explosion, the five employees were arrested and charged.
Experts on hyperbaric chamber treatments were consulted for the investigation, and Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said "horrifying and simple conclusions were reached."
Hyperbaric chamber explosion: Nessel charges Oxford Center CEO, three others in boy's death
Experts on hyperbaric chamber and treatments were consulted for the investigation, and Nessel said "horrifying and simple conclusions were reached."
Nessel said the Oxford Center routinely operated sensitive and lethal, dangerous hyperbaric chambers beyond their expected service lifetime and in complete disregard of vital safety measures and practices considered essential by medical and technical professionals.
She called it a business that was purely for cash.
In addition to lacking property safety measures, Peterson is accused of interfering with the investigation and criticizing Cooper while he was on fire. Sources say Peterson allegedly shared CCTV photos of the boy and made disturbing comments about him.
"If my leg was on fire, I would at least try to hit it and put it out. He just laid there and did nothing," Peterson allegedly said.
Magistrate Elizabeth Chiappelli made reference to the claim of Peterson sharing photos from inside the center when Peterson was arraigned.
The Source: Previous FOX 2 coverage was used to report this story.
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