OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – The family of a 5-year-old boy killed in a hyperbaric chamber explosion at an Oakland County healthcare facility has retained an attorney.
The boy was killed on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, when the hyperbaric chamber he was receiving treatment in at the Oxford Center in Troy exploded. The boy’s mother was also injured.
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Fieger Law said the firm has been retained to represent the family of the child who was killed, and the child’s mother. A lawsuit has not been filed.
“This is an unimaginable tragedy, and our hearts are with the family as they navigate this immeasurable loss,” said James Harrington, Managing Partner of Fieger Law. “We ask that the public and media respect the family’s privacy at this time. We are investigating every aspect of this matter and will report our findings in due time. The safety of children should always be the top priority, and this incident raises serious concerns about hyperbaric chambers and the oversight and regulation of hyperbaric treatments.”
---> Hyperbaric chambers: What they are, what they treat, risks, and accreditation
What is hyperbaric oxygen therapy?
According to the FDA, hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is known for treating scuba and deep-sea divers affected by the rapid change in pressure around them.
The FDA said it can also be used to treat other health problems, including carbon monoxide poisoning and diabetic foot ulcers. The increased air pressure in the chamber helps the lungs collect more oxygen, which can get more oxygen to the tissues that need, and help the body heal and fight certain infections.
As of July 2021, the FDA has only cleared hyperbaric chambers for 13 disorders. HBOT is being studied for other conditions, including COVID-19, but the FDA has not cleared or authorized the use of any HBOT device to treat anything other than the 13 disorders listed.
As of Jan. 31, 2025, the Oxford Center had more than 100 conditions listed on its website in the hyperbaric oxygen therapy page as “conditions treated.”
The FDA recommends those who need treatment get it at an accredited facility saying, “Explosions and fires have occurred in HBOT chambers that have not been reviewed by the FDA and are located at unaccredited facilities.”
The FDA said the facility should be accredited by the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society. According to the UHMS map, only two locations in Michigan have been accredited and they are in Grand Rapids and Niles.
In a statement to Local 4, the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) said that state law does not require hyperbaric oxygen facilities to be licensed or regulated by LARA.
The Oxford Center opened in 2008. The fire department said the facility will be closed “until further notice” while they continue to investigate the explosion.
The Oxford Center released the following statement on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025:
“This is an exceptionally difficult day for all of us.
“As law enforcement officials have shared, at our location in Troy, Michigan this morning, a fire started inside of a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. The child being treated in that chamber did not survive and the child’s mother was injured.
“The safety and wellbeing of the children we serve is our highest priority. Nothing like this has happened in our more than 15 years of providing this type of therapy.
“We do not know why or how this happened and will participate in all of the investigations that now need to take place.”
