Family of man sucked into MRI machine speaks on 'heartbreaking incident'
The family of a man who died after being sucked into an MRI machine by a large metallic chain around his neck has spoken out.
Keith McAllister, 61, was "tragically killed" on July 16 when he went to visit a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) medical facility in Westbury, New York, according to the Nassau County Police Department and a GoFundMe started by the man's family.
McAllister succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital on July 17 at 2:36 p.m., according to police.
Family issues statement on tragic incident
The McAllister family's attorney, Michael Lauterborn, shared a statement with USA TODAY on Thursday, July 24.
"The McAllister family and their friends are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Mr. Keith McAllister, who passed away following a preventable incident at Nassau Open MRI in Westbury, New York," the statement reads. "We ask the public and friends to keep Mr. McAllister's wife, Adrienne Jones-McAllister, and the entire family in their thoughts and prayers during this profoundly difficult time. The family is truly grateful for the outpouring of heartfelt condolences received from the community and from across the country."
According to the family's statement, they and their attorneys are "ensuring that all facts surrounding this incident" are being investigated by police and the New York State Department of Health.
"This heartbreaking incident highlights the critical importance of safety protocols in medical imaging facilities," the statement continues. "The family and our legal team are dedicated to assisting the appropriate authorities in their investigation and in efforts to ensure accountability and prevent similar tragedies in the future."
Who was Keith McAllister?
The GoFundMe created by McAllister's stepdaughter, Samantha Bodden, says he was "a husband, a father, a stepfather, a grandfather, a brother and an uncle."
"He was a friend to many," Bodden wrote on the fundraiser page.
According to Bodden, her mother was lying on the table for the MRI when the technician left the room to get McAllister to help get her up. During this moment, the technician allegedly forgot to tell McAllister to remove the chain around his neck, his stepdaughter wrote.
"My mother and the tech tried for several minutes to release him before the police were called," Bodden wrote. "He was attached to the machine for almost an hour before they could release the chain from the machine."
McAllister died after suffering several heart attacks following the incident, according to his stepdaughter. Now, the family is asking for donations to bury him, she added.
As of Thursday, July 24, the family has received over $11,000 in donations, only about a $1,000 shy of the GoFundMe's goal of $12,000.
Adrienne Jones-McAllister saw MRI machine 'snatch' husband
McAllister's wife, Adrienne Jones-McAllister, told News 12 Long Island that she recalled her husband walking toward the MRI table and seeing the machine "snatch him."
"He went limp in my arms, and this is still pulsating in my brain," she said, per the TV station.
Jones-McAllister said she had an MRI on her knee and needed help getting up from the table, according to News 12 Long Island. Her husband came into the room wearing the 20-pound chain that he wears for weight training purposes, she told the TV station.
"That was not the first time that guy has seen that chain. They had a conversation about it before," Jones-McAllister said about the MRI technician's prior knowledge of her husband's chain.
Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund and Mike Snider, USA TODAY
Jonathan Limehouse covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at JLimehouse@gannett.com.
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