TROY, Mich. (WXYZ) — On day two of The Oxford Center preliminary hearing, a hyperbaric chamber expert testified about the center's methods.
Thomas Cooper, 5, died when a hyperbaric chamber caught fire and exploded during a session in late January. Four people are charged for the homicide.
Watch Darren Cunningham's video report below:
The Oxford Center CEO Tamela Peterson is charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter, along with primary manager Gary Marken and the safety manager Jeff Mosteller.
Aleta Moffit, the chamber operator, is charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Francois Burman, a hyperbaric chamber expert, was the second witness in the case to take the stand. He said he drew his analysis from watching the 40-minute video leading up to Thomas' tragic death and visiting the center to investigate.
The prosecution asked Birman, "Should a patient ever receive treatment without having a grounding strap?"
He replied, "They should not.”
Burman said he believes the center operated below industry standards, particularly when it comes to safety and prevention of fires.
The prosecution asked, "The movement that you saw Thomas Cooper making before the ignition of the fire, in your opinion, could that have contributed to creating an electrical charge?"
"It could," Birman replied.
Watch the first day of the hearing when a former employee testified below:
The prosecution continues to raise the point that Thomas wasn’t wearing grounding straps around his wrists. Burman said grounding straps hold a patient still and prevent the creation of static electricity, which is a fire hazard in an oxygen chamber.
While watching the 40-minute video of Thomas’ treatment, the explosion and the staff’s response to the situation, Burman said he hadn’t see a 'safety pause' take place before the session. He explained that’s when a technician makes sure the patient doesn’t take any potentially hazardous items into the chamber and makes sure they are grounded to prevent the buildup of static electricity.
Burman acknowledged a safety pause could have taken place out of view of the camera. He also said it’s not clear if anything made it into the chamber that could have been flammable or if anything flammable was on any surface like the bed sheet.
The hearing is scheduled to resume in December.
