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Former safety manager sentenced to 19 months over fatal hyperbaric chamber fire

Jeffrey Mosteller pleaded no contest following the explosion that killed 5-year-old Thomas Cooper at a Michigan clinic

The short version

  • Jeffrey Mosteller was sentenced to 19 months in prison after pleading no contest to involuntary manslaughter in the death of 5-year-old Thomas Cooper.[The Guardian · NBC News]
  • Cooper died in January 2025 after a hyperbaric oxygen chamber caught fire during treatment at the Oxford Center in Michigan.[The Guardian · NBC News]
  • Three other former clinic employees face criminal charges and remain pending trial, while the boy's parents have filed a $100 million lawsuit against the facility and the chamber manufacturer.[The Guardian · NBC News]

Key facts

  • Jeffrey Mosteller received a 19-month prison sentence in Oakland County circuit court after pleading no contest to involuntary manslaughter.[The Guardian · NBC News]
  • Thomas Cooper died in January 2025 during hyperbaric oxygen therapy for sleep apnea and ADHD at the Oxford Center in Michigan.[The Guardian · NBC News]
  • An expert who reviewed video footage reported that the fire ignited from a static electricity spark created when the child shifted a sheet off a mattress in the oxygen-filled chamber.[The Guardian]
  • State prosecutors accused the Oxford Center of deliberately ignoring safety protocols established by the National Fire Protection Association and chamber manufacturer Sechrist Industries.[NBC News]
  • Three other former facility workers, including the clinic's founder, face criminal charges and are awaiting trial.[The Guardian · NBC News]
  • Cooper's parents launched a $100 million civil suit against the Oxford Center and Sechrist Industries.[The Guardian · NBC News]

What remains uncertain

  • The legal outcomes for the three other charged former employees remain unresolved as they await trial.[The Guardian · NBC News]
  • The resolution of the $100 million civil lawsuit against the clinic and the chamber manufacturer remains pending.[The Guardian · NBC News]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.