Doctors issue warning after 61-year-old New York man wearing metal chain dies in freak MRI accident
Keith McAllister was wearing a large metal chain which caused the powerful MRI magnet to pull him into the machine.
Keith McAllister, a 61-year-old man from Long Island, died after being pulled into a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine at a medical facility in Westbury, New York, authorities confirmed.
What Happened?
The incident occurred on Wednesday at Nassau Open MRI, where McAllister was accompanying his wife, Adrienne Jones-McAllister, who was undergoing a knee scan.
According to Adrienne, her husband entered the MRI room to help her stand up from the scanning table when the powerful magnetic field activated.
“His body went limp,” she told News 12 Long Island. "He went limp in my arms and this is still pulsating in my brain.”
Adrienne and the attending MRI technician reportedly tried to pull McAllister away from the machine but were unsuccessful.
Investigation Underway
Police said McAllister was wearing a large metal chain with a heavy lock, which caused the powerful MRI magnet to pull him into the machine. He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition and died the following day from his injuries.
Adrienne said her husband regularly wore the 20-pound chain for weight training purposes and had been to the facility before.
“That was not the first time that guy [the technician] has seen that chain,” she said. “They had a conversation about it before."
Investigation Underway
The Nassau County Police Department’s homicide squad is investigating the incident. No charges have been filed as of now.
Experts Warn of MRI Dangers
Medical professionals spoke about the importance of MRI safety protocols in the wake of the tragedy.
Payal Sud, a doctor at North Shore University Hospital, told CBS New York, “The dangers could be catastrophic and it underscores why we have all the safety precautions in place.”
Patients are required to remove all metal objects, including jewelry, belts, and even certain clothing, before undergoing MRI scans due to the machine's intense magnetic field.
"It would act like a torpedo trying to get into the middle of the center of the magnet," Charles Winterfeldt, the hospital's director of imaging services, told CBS New York.
