Hospital horror as boy, 6, killed in MRI machine by flying oxygen tank
In a shocking tragedy that stunned New York and the entire US, a six-year-old lost his life when a flying oxygen cylinder struck him during a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan.
The metal container, hurtling at speeds of 20 to 30 feet per second, caused fatal skull injuries to Michael Colombini, from Croton-On-Hudson, after being pulled in by the MRI's massive 10-tonne electromagnet.
Tragically, Michael died two days following the horrific accident at Westchester Medical Center, located north of New York City, roughly an hour's journey from where a 61 year old gentleman recently perished after being dragged into an MRI scanner whilst wearing a heavy metallic chain at Nassau Open MRI in Westbury.
Officials say Keith McAllister, who lost his life on July 17, had moved towards the apparatus after his spouse, who was having a scan, cried out for assistance.
Back in 2001, when Michael was fatally injured, hospital authorities confirmed the oxygen cylinder was "immediately magnetised and drawn to the centre of the machine, causing head trauma to the child.", reports the Mirror.
An MRI scanner is a medical imaging apparatus that utilises powerful magnetic forces and radio frequencies to produce comprehensive images of a patient's internal body structure, enabling medics to identify and track numerous health conditions.
Following sedation, Michael was positioned inside one of these devices for examination after having a non-cancerous brain growth surgically removed, but whilst inside the scanner his oxygen levels plummeted rapidly. Staff tried to rectify the situation using the suite's built-in oxygen supply, but their efforts were in vain.
They then made the fatal decision to bring a portable steel oxygen tank into the room.
The magnetic pull was so powerful that an anaesthesiologist had the cannister yanked from their grip and into the scanner as soon as they received it at the doorway. The cannister struck Michael, leading to his tragic death.
In October 2009, Michael's parents secured a $2.9 million legal settlement with Westchester County Health Care of Valhalla, as disclosed by a New York court in 2010.
Over 500 people attended the six year old's funeral, where his kindergarten teacher, Diana Heaton, described him as "an awesome kid who liked having fun," adding "we're all shocked and saddened by this."
Approximately 100 hospital employees attended a prayer service for Michael.
In a statement, the boy's family expressed gratitude for ''the outpouring of public sympathy," but requested privacy as they were "unable to make any public remarks regarding the loss of their beloved son Michael" because they had "just begun the grieving process."
As part of the 2009 settlement, the parties agreed not to comment on the accident or litigation, although none sought to seal the legal records.
Edward Stolzenberg, then-president and chief executive officer of the medical centre, stated at the time that the facility would "do anything it can to ease the family's grief. " He further stated: "The trauma was due to what can only be described as a horrific accident, and the entire medical centre is grieving."
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