Citing issues in regards to the oversight and rules of hyperbaric chambers, Fieger Regulation introduced Saturday that it has been retained by the household of the 5-year-old boy who died in a hyperbaric chamber explosion in Troy on Friday.
“That is an unimaginable tragedy, and our hearts are with the household as they navigate this immeasurable loss,” stated James Harrington, managing accomplice of Fieger Regulation in a press release.
The high-powered regulation agency can be representing the boy’s mom, who was additionally injured within the explosion.
The 5-year-old died at The Oxford Middle, a medical heart that gives remedy for kids with such well being circumstances as autism, most cancers, ADHD and autoimmune illnesses, based on its web site.
The explosion occurred round 8 a.m. Friday, police stated. The boy was discovered lifeless contained in the chamber.
Troy Hearth Lt. Keith Younger stated investigators have not but found what triggered the explosion, however stated concentrated oxygen — which is pumped into the high-pressure chamber — is gasoline for hearth.
Andrew Kistner, a spokesperson for The Oxford Middle, additionally stated the reason for the explosion was unknown.
What’s a hyperbaric chamber?
A hyperbaric chamber is a extremely pressurized piece of medical gear that resembles an MRI machine. Pure oxygen is pumped into the chamber, which will help the physique battle infections, enhance bloodflow and get better from accidents.
A number of well-known athletes and celebrities have turned to hyperbaric oxygen remedy, like soccer hall-of-Famer Joe Namath, Justin Bieber, LeBron James, Tiger Woods and Jay Leno.
Spokespeople for the Michigan Division of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs and for the Michigan Division of Well being and Human Providers instructed the Free Press that these businesses do not license, regulate or oversee hyperbaric oxygen chambers or the individuals who function them.
Research reviewing hyperbaric chamber fires over greater than 70 years have discovered that 77 individuals died in 35 fires. Till 1980, most of the fires had been began by electrical ignitions. Since then, fires in hyperbaric chambers are normally sparked by one thing that was carried into the hyperbaric chamber.
Officers investigating The Oxford Middle explosion stated they do not know the reason for Friday’s explosion, however stated the chambers create an setting that’s “extraordinarily flamable.”
The risks of hyperbaric chambers could also be a spotlight of the Fieger Regulation’s method the household’s case.
“The security of kids ought to all the time be the highest precedence, and this incident raises critical issues about hyperbaric chambers and the oversight and regulation of hyperbaric remedies,” Harrington stated.
Contact Liam Rappleye: LRappleye@freepress.com