Amanda Forrester / news@whmi.com

Fieger Law announced that they are filing a $100 million lawsuit on behalf of the family of the 5-year-old killed in the hyperbaric chamber explosion earlier this year.

During a news conference on Monday, Managing Partner James Harrington said they have filed suit against Oxford Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Center, Oxford Kids Foundation, Sechrist Industries Inc., Office Ventures Troy 1, Tamela Peterson, Jeffrey Mosteller, Gary Merken and Aletha Moffitt.

Office Ventures Troy 1 owns the property that held the Oxford Center location in Troy and Sechrist Industries is the manufacturer of the chamber.

58-year-old Peterson, of Brighton, was the owner of the Oxford Center, which also had a location in Green Oak Township. 64-year-old Jeffrey Mosteller, of Clinton Twp., was the safety manager. 65-year-old Marken, of Spring Arbor, was the primary management assistant at the facility. 60-year-old Moffitt, of Rochester Hills, was the operator of the hyperbaric chamber.

Attorney General Dana Nessel charged Peterson, Mosteller and Marken with one count of 2nd degree murder or one count of involuntary manslaughter each, while Moffitt was charged with one count of involuntary manslaughter and one count of medical records – intentionally placing false information on chart.

On Jan. 31, 5-year-old Thomas Cooper was killed when the hyperbaric chamber he was in to receive treatment exploded and caught fire. His mother also suffered severe burns when she tried to get him out.

The complaint filed by Fieger Law has a total of eight allegations, depending on the defendant. These are claims of negligence, claims of breach of implied warranty and implied warranty, failure to warn premises of liability, claims of negligent hiring, training and supervision.

“This was absolutely preventable, and this never should’ve happened,” Harrington said. He added that the absence of warnings should have everyone “very, very concerned.”

Harrington said the industry “knows that these machines can turn into literally a firebomb in an instant.” Despite this knowledge, he said there were no stickers or warnings posted, including ones about prohibited items or the risk of fire. Some of the defendants previously said the explosion was due to the pajamas he was wearing.

During the conference, photos of the hyperbaric chamber and the gurney Thomas was laying on at the time of the explosion were shown.

The full press conference is posted below.

(photo credit: WDIV / Fieger Law)