Man sentenced after boy, 5, dies in horrific hospital hyperbaric chamber fire
A five-year-old boy was horrifically 'burned alive while his mother watched' due to a fatal error, a US court heard.
Thomas Cooper tragically passed away after the oxygen-rich hyperbaric chamber he was receiving treatment in set alight and exploded on 31 January last year.
One of the four people who were charged in relation to his death has now been sentenced.
Thomas was undergoing treatment at the Oxford Center in Troy, Michigan, for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and sleep apnea when a blaze broke out.
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A fire erupted inside the hyperbaric chamber that the little lad was inside of, while his mother watched on helplessly. She was standing nearby and also suffered injuries, officials said previously.
The mum endured burns to her arms while desperately trying to rescue her Thomas from the flames, a lawyer for Thomas' family previously told People.
According to the NHS, hyperbaric chambers deliver oxygen at a pressure which is 'greater than normal, so that a higher level of oxygen can be dissolved in the patient’s blood plasma', accelerating the body's healing process.
These therapeutic devices are most often used to treat those with decompression sickness and air bubbles in their blood vessels.
The Oxford Center, which was founded in 2008, offered this service among a variety of others, including neurofeedback brain therapy.
In a statement shared in wake of Thomas' devastating death, the Troy Fire Department explained: "A hyperbaric chamber contains 100 percent oxygen, which is up to three times the amount of oxygen than a normal room.
"The presence of such a high amount of oxygen in a pressurised environment can make it extremely combustible."
The former safety director at the Oxford Center, Jeffrey Mosteller, was sentenced earlier this week at the Oakland County Circuit Court in connection with the deadly incident that took place last year.
The 66-year-old pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter and will spend at least 19 months in prison, according to The New York Times.
Mosteller could spend up to 15 years behind bars depending on his behaviour, which is the maximum penalty for the charge he faced.
Two of his former colleagues - the owner of the Oxford Center and its primary management assistant - are awaiting trial on charges of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter.
A third person, the chamber’s operator, is also facing an involuntary manslaughter charge and is also awaiting trial.
WXYZ Detroit reported that the court heard how the Oxford Center did not use 'grounding straps' on patients using the hyperbaric chamber.
Grounding straps are worn by patients to discharge static electricity that may build up, while also preventing sparks inside the chamber, minimising the risk of a fire breaking out.
Mosteller's lawyer Alona Sharon told the court that the decision to not use grounding straps was made prior to his employment at the Oxford Center, but acknowledged that he did not take steps to remedy this.
While sentencing him, Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Kwamé Rowe told the former safety manager: "It was incumbent upon you to say something.
"I don’t understand that reasoning behind Mr. Mosteller ignoring National Fire Code, ignoring the Seacrest manual and ignoring his own training that he would have received in HBOT."
Speaking on Mosteller's behalf, his lawyer said: "He is, your honor, someone who made a horrific mistake in this case that caused a tremendous loss for this family.
"He understands the devastating nature of what happened and of his mistake and lapse in judgment."
Thomas' family did not submit an impact statement to the court, as prosecutors explained that it is still too painful for them to talk about.
Assistant Michigan Attorney General Chris Kessel said of the heart-wrenching case: "The real-world consequence of that was that a 5-year-old boy whose life hadn’t even started burned alive while his mother watched."
The Attorney General's Office said in a statement after Mosteller previously submitted his plea: "Both the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and Sechrist, the manufacturer of the hyperbaric chamber, publish strict safety protocols that must be followed before treatment. However, Mosteller deliberately discarded these protocols and ignored precautions at the time of Cooper’s death.
“A young child lost his life in a completely preventable tragedy because this defendant allowed an outdated device to operate in defiance of safety standards."
'The best, best boy there ever was'
In a GoFundMe launched to support Thomas' loved ones in wake of his death, the five-year-old was described as the 'smartest and cutest kid' who 'loved life'. It raised nearly $72,000 (£53,275) to go towards his funeral costs.
The tribute to the little boy read: "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.
"He loved audio books and had just fallen in love with James and Giant Peach, BFG and Charlie and Chocolate Factory. He had just watched the first classic movie, then the Johnny Depp version and he was so excited there was a third newest one. He loved life. He loved running and swimming. He was planning to try mountain BMX racing and karate in the summer. 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.
"His family loved him very much. He was a smart, intelligent boy and his parents loved him how he was. He was perfect in every way. He was the best, best boy there ever was."
Olivia Burke