Man, 61, dies in freak accident after being pulled into an MRI machine by his metal necklace
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He was rushed to the hospital but died the next day.
According to NBC New York, the man was wearing a large metal necklace when he entered the scan room while the machine was already engaged. It remains unclear whether he was a patient or a visitor at the facility. A witness told CBS News that he had been warned not to enter, but reportedly ran inside after hearing a relative scream.
That metal chain, in the presence of the machine's powerful magnetic field, became a deadly projectile.
"It [the necklace] would act like a torpedo trying to get into the middle of the center of the magnet," Charles Winterfeldt, director of imaging services at North Shore University Hospital, told CBS.
New York's Department of Health released a statement which said: "MRI facilities in NY are not regulated as part of diagnostic and treatment centers, so are therefore not subject to routine inspections." They are investigating the accident.
How do MRI machines work, and are they dangerous?
Magnetic Resonance Imaging(MRI) relies on intensely strong magnets and radiofrequency currents to produce detailed internal images of the human body. Those same magnetic fields, however, can become lethal in the presence of metal.
Even tiny objects can become deadly in that space. Dr. Payal Sud, a physician at North Shore University Hospital, explained to CBS News, 'The dangers [of not following protocol] could be catastrophic, and it underscores why we have all the safety precautions in place.
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If this was a chain that was wrapped around the neck, I could imagine any kind of strangulation injuries that could happen. Asphyxiation, cervical spine injuries.
'
Not the first time
Injuries and fatalities linked to MRI magnets are very rare, but there have been a few exceptions. In 2001, a six-year-old boy died in New York when a metal oxygen tank was drawn into the MRI bore during his scan. In India, 2018, a man was killed the same way. More recently, in 2023, a California nurse suffered serious injuries after being crushed between an MRI machine and a hospital bed pulled by the magnetic force.
The New York Times noted that the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering has long warned about these risks: the magnetic field is strong enough to fling a wheelchair across the room. It's why patients are instructed to remove all metal jewelry, piercings, or even certain implants before stepping inside.
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