Family of Boy Killed in Hyperbaric Chamber Files Wrongful Death

Greg Owen

Attorney

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A 4-year-old boy and his grandmother were fatally burned when the hyperbaric chamber they were both in exploded. The grandmother died in the explosion. The boy, Francesco Pio Martinisi, suffered burns to 90 percent of his body and died one month after the explosion.

The family of the victims filed a wrongful death lawsuit claiming the Ocean Hyperbaric Oxygen Neurological Center in Lauderdale-by-the-sea was negligent in the treatment of Francesco for cerebral palsy.

Martinisi and his grandmother traveled from Italy for the treatment in Florida. The Ocean Hyperbaric Oxygen Center is state-licensed and treats patients with brain injuries, cerebral palsy and those who have nearly drowned.

The facility had been cited several times for violations of local codes and fire safety standards. The Lauderdale-by-the-Sea fire marshal told the station that the center had several unresolved violations related to its hyperbaric chambers. The Broward County Sheriff's office told the station that the chamber involved in the explosion is old. It used an electric motor to seal the hyperbaric chamber shut. The marshal said there was no high-pressure alarm on the oxygen tank there.