Wife's horrifying reaction as husband dies after being sucked into MRI machine over large chain
The grieving wife of a man who tragically died after being sucked into an MRI machine in New York has said she can't get that image out of her head.
Keith McAllister, 61, was critically injured when he was pulled into the machine by his necklace at Nassau Open MRI in Westbury, Long Island, on Wednesday afternoon. He died from his injuries, Nassau County police said.
Speaking out for the first time since the tragedy, the man's wife, Adrienne Jones-McAllister, said she had an MRI on her knee and needed help getting up, so she asked the technician to get her husband so he could help her get off the table. When undergoing an MRI scan, patients and all people in the room where the procedure is carried out are asked to remove all jewellery and piercings to remain safe because the machine generates strong magnetic fields.
However, Ms Jones-McAllister said the technician allowed her husband to enter the room even though he was wearing a 20-pound weight-training chain. Sharing her horrifying account of the incident, she told News 12 Long Island that she saw her husband walk toward the table and the machine "snatch him" immediately.
When he got close to her, she said "at that instant, the machine switched him around, pulled him in and he hit the MRI." As tears ran down her face, she recalled: "I said: 'Could you turn off the machine, call 911, do something, Turn this damn thing off!'"
"He went limp in my arms, and this is still pulsating in my brain," the heartbroken woman said. She said the technician helped her try to pull her husband off the machine but it was impossible. "He waved goodbye to me and then his whole body went limp," she told the TV outlet.
Her husband suffered several heart attacks after being freed from the machine and later died, she said. Ms Jones-McAllister claimed it wasn't the first time she and her husband had been at Nassau Open MRI, and said he had worn his chain there before.
She said: "That was not the first time that guy has seen that chain. They had a conversation about it before." She claimed previous comments included: "Ooooooh, that's a big chain!" It wasn't the first New York death to result from an MRI machine.
In 2001, six-year-old Michael Colombini of Croton-on-Hudson was killed at the Westchester Medical Center when an oxygen tank flew into the chamber, drawn in by the MRI's 10-ton electromagnet. In 2010, records filed in Westchester County revealed that the family settled a lawsuit for $2.9 million.
MRI machines "employ a strong magnetic field" that "exerts very powerful forces on objects of iron, some steels, and other magnetizable objects," according to the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, which says the units are "strong enough to fling a wheelchair across the room."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Daily Record
Hospital horror as boy, 6, killed in MRI machine by flying oxygen tank
Michael Colombini, of Croton-On-Hudson, died two days after the 2001 mishap at Westchester Medical Center, in Valhalla, which was caused by the oxygen tank becoming magnetised 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."
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Daily Record
Ardrossan teen unites community for sarcoma awareness month
Georgie Hyslop has organised her second Fun Day at Whitlees Community Centre to raise funds for Beatson Cancer Charity and support others affected by cancer. An Ardrossan teen has rallied her community this Sarcoma Awareness Month to raise funds and awareness after being diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma. Georgie Hyslop, 17, was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer in December 2023. It all started with pain in her leg on the way to school. At first, doctors thought it was a stress fracture but after weeks of no improvement, an MRI revealed an abnormal mass. A biopsy confirmed the worst. Georgie said: "I didn't really know how to feel. "My parents were upset, so I focused on making sure they were okay. I tried to keep everyone smiling - if I thought about it too much, I knew I'd get upset." Despite going through treatment, Georgie has devoted her energy to fundraising and supporting others affected by cancer. She's already raised money for Beatson Cancer Charity, and held her second community fundraiser at the weekend packed with entertainment, raffles and plenty of laughter. She said: "If I can make things easier for anyone else, it helps me too. I just want to do something good." Georgie recently attended the Pride of Scotland Awards in Beatson Cancer Charity's tartan, proudly dressed by Slanj Kilts alongside her dad Paul. She said: "It meant so much to wear the tartan. We were so proud to represent Beatson Cancer Charity - they've done so much for us." This Sarcoma Awareness Month, Georgie shared a message for others: "For anyone going through treatment or who has been recently diagnosed - you're not alone. Sadly, there's a lot of us, but there's always someone you can talk to. Stay as positive as you can."
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Dying Brit mum fighting for life in Spain after botched surgery sparked organ shut down
Colleen Mckinnon and her husband Steve jetted off for a nice few relaxing days in the sun when the mum suddenly became unwell with a gallbladder infection and gallstones A British mum is fighting for her life in Spain after botched emergency surgery sparked a major organ shut down. Colleen Mckinnon and her husband Steve jetted off for a few relaxing days in the sun when the mum suddenly became unwell with a gallbladder infection and gallstones. She was rushed to a private hospital, where she has spent the last six weeks after an alleged botched surgery. Colleen's gallbladder should have been removed during a routine operation, but instead, medics placed abdominal drains inside her. Over the next few days, the infection "kept getting worse", according to worried daughter Rachel. Unbeknownst to the family, the infection that was contained in the gallbladder was "now leaking into her abdomen and infecting all her other organs." Colleen, from Dundee, has remained in intensive care for the last four weeks out of six. She has had seven abdominal drains, which have all failed, along with a large and complex operation on her abdomen that was unsuccessful. The family was quoted £39,000 for a medical ambulance, which prompted daughter Rachel to set-up a GoFundMe. Rachel wrote: "Unfortunately my mum is still critical and has had another set back. My mum started to deteriorate yesterday and is now back on oxygen due to her stats dropping. "Another MRI scan had shown that she now has a further large amount of infection in her abdomen and they are not completely sure where it is coming from. There has been talks of her need to travel 40 miles to have another procedure and now the possibility also another invasive and complicated operation. "As you can imagine we are desperately wanting to get my mum home so that she can be treated at her local hospital but the more I witness her deteriorating and becoming weaker, the harder it is to imagine how this is going to happen unless we fund it and get her an air ambulance privately. "My mum does have travel insurance and they are covering her medical costs, however they are dragging their feet and are now saying that she needs to finish all treatment over in Spain before flying home commercially the doctors here have said that this can take a number of weeks. "We have been quoted £39,000 for a medical air ambulance home for her. We need to get my mum home, she deserves to be cared for in her own country, surrounded and supported by all her family." Rachel revealed that the target has been hit, as of today, and she was on her way to tell the "amazing news" to her mum. She wrote: "Thank you to each and every single person that's helped us get here. As a family we will be forever grateful for the amount and support that my mum has been given."
