Latest news with #MRIaccident
CBS News
6 days ago
- Health
- CBS News
Family of man who died after being sucked into MRI machine "devastated and seeking answers," lawyers say
The family of a man who died after being sucked into an MRI machine in Nassau County on New York's Long Island is "devasted and seeking answers" in his death, attorneys said. Keith McAllister, 61, died after he entered an MRI room at Nassau Open MRI in Westbury last week while a scan was in progress. He was wearing a large metallic chain, and the magnetic force from the machine pulled the chain around his neck, causing him to be drawn in as well and suffer serious injuries, according to Nassau County Police. McAllister died from those injuries the next day. According to police, a witness said McAllister defied orders to stay out of the room. He apparently went in after he heard his relative, who was a patient, screaming during a scan. Attorneys representing the McAllister family released a statement Tuesday. 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. 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. At this time, the focus remains on supporting the McAllister family. Both the family and our team at Smith, Cheung & Lauterborn PC are committed to ensuring that all facts surrounding this incident are thoroughly investigated by the Nassau County Police Department and the New York State Department of Health. This heartbreaking incident highlights the critical importance of safety protocols in medical imaging facilities. 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. The family is devastated and seeking answers. MRI machines can be especially dangerous for people who require metal objects to be near or on them, such as people who use wheelchairs, oxygen tanks, or those who wear magnetic jewelry. "It would act like a torpedo trying to get into the middle of the center of the magnet," said Charles Winterfeldt, North Shore University Hospital's director of imaging services. "The dangers could be catastrophic and it underscores why we have all the safety precautions in place," Dr. Payal Sud said. Injuries and deaths related to MRI machines pulling in magnetic objects are considered rare. So far, Nassau Open MRI has declined CBS News New York's request for comment.
The Sun
22-07-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Family reveals horror new detail after husband is sucked into hospital MRI machine by his huge 20lb chain and killed
A MAN who tragically died after being pulled into an MRI machine by his 20-pound chain was stuck to the machine for an hour before being freed, his family claims. Keith McAllister, 61, suffered fatal injuries in the freak accident while his wife was undergoing an MRI scan at a clinic on New York's Long Island on Wednesday afternoon. 4 4 Keith's wife, Adrienne Jones-McAllister, was at Nassau Open MRI in Westbury for a scan of her knee when the incident unfolded. In a GoFundMe set up for burial costs, Samantha Bodden revealed new details about her dad's horrific final moments. She wrote: "While my mother was laying on the table, the technician left the room to get her husband to help her off the table. "He forgot to inform him to take the chain he was wearing from around his neck off when the magnet sucked him in. "My mother and the tech tried for several minutes to release him before the police were called. "He was attached to the machine for almost an hour before they could release the chain from the machine." The grieving daughter went on to say that her dad suffered several heart attacks after the incident. Samantha added that, despite reports claiming Keith wasn't authorized to be in the room, it was actually the technician who brought him in. Wife Adrienne previously told News 12 Long Island that she asked the technician to bring her husband to hep her get up from the table. Keith was wearing a large metallic chain around his neck - which turned into a "torpedo" and caused him to be pulled of his feet and into the machine. Man who died after being sucked into MRI machine 'was brought into room by technician' before 'going limp in wife's arms Adrienne said she saw the scanning device "snatch him" as he approached her. "At that instant, the machine switched him around, pulled him in, and he hit the MRI," she said. The distraught patient added: "He went limp in my arms, and this is still pulsating in my brain." She recalled the moments in which she told the technician to turn off the machine and call 911. Adrienne said that Keith used the chain regularly for weight training. She revealed that it was not the first time the pair had visited Nassau Open MRI, even claiming that the staff member had previously discussed Keith's huge chain. The powerful magnetic field generated by an MRI machine can pull metal objects in with great force. For this reason, patients are asked to remove metal items and change their clothes before having MRI scans or going near machines. Dr. Payal Sud, a doctor from North Shore University Hospital, told CBS: "The dangers [of not following protocol] could be catastrophic and it underscores why we have all the safety precautions in place. "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." North Shore says that MRI machines can be especially dangerous for people with oxygen tanks, in wheelchairs or even those wearing magnetic jewelry.
Fox News
22-07-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Family reveals shocking details of what really happened in fatal Long Island MRI accident
The family of a Long Island man who tragically died in a freak MRI-related accident is claiming that the technician is at fault for their loved one's death. The incident occurred at Nassau Open MRI in Westbury on Wednesday afternoon, where Keith McAllister, 61, was pulled into the machine by its powerful magnetic force and remained stuck for nearly an hour before being freed. McAllister had accompanied his wife, Adrienne Jones-McAllister, who was undergoing a knee scan at the facility. According to their daughter, Samantha Bodden, the MRI technician left the room during the procedure to get McAllister to assist his wife, but failed to warn him about the danger of wearing metal near the machine. Bodden also addressed media reports suggesting McAllister shouldn't have been in the room, clarifying that the technician had invited him in. "Several news stations are saying he wasn't authorized to be in the room when in fact, he was because the technician went and brought him into the room," Bodden wrote. In a GoFundMe post set up to raise funds for funeral expenses, Bodden wrote that the magnetic field instantly pulled him in due to the chain he was wearing. She detailed that both her mother and the technician tried unsuccessfully to free McAllister before calling the police for assistance. "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." Jones-McAllister detailed her last moments with her husband in an interview shared by 'The Big Weekend Show.' "I said, 'Could you turn off the machine, call 9-1-1, do something, just turn this damn thing off?' I'm just, I'm still trying to wrap my head around the whole thing. He waved goodbye to me and his whole body went limp," Jones-McAllister described. Bodden said that her dad passed away on July 17, losing his battle after "having several heart attacks following the tragic accident." The Nassau County Police Department said the investigation is ongoing. Nassau Open MRI told Fox News Monday morning that they had no comment. MRI machines generate intense magnetic fields that can attract and heat up metal objects, creating serious hazards. Nassau Open MRI states on its website that anything metallic should be removed prior to an MRI, including hearing aids, partial plates, dentures, jewelry and hair pins. On a web page detailing the benefits and risks of MRIs, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notes that "the strong, static magnetic field will attract magnetic objects (from small items such as keys and cell phones, to large, heavy items such as oxygen tanks and floor buffers) and may cause damage to the scanner or injury to the patient or medical professionals if those objects become projectiles." The FDA also notes that "adverse events" related to MRI scans are "very rare." Kenneth J. Perry, M.D., an emergency medicine attending physician in Charleston, South Carolina, told Fox News Digital that the best way to prevent these types of accidents is to have a "robust MRI protocol" in place. Fox News Digital reached out to Nassau Open MRI requesting comment. Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to
Daily Mail
22-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Family of man killed in MRI horror reveal he was trapped inside machine for nearly an hour
The New York man who died after being sucked into an MRI machine was jammed inside for about an hour, his horrified family has claimed. Keith McAllister, 61, of Long Island, was fatally injured the Wednesday freak accident while he was trying to help his wife, Adrienne Jones-McAllister, off an MRI table at Nassau Open MRI in Westbury. Adrienne had been getting imaging done on her knee. Once it was complete, the technician left the room to get Keith so he could help his wife get up, according to a GoFundMe created by Adrienne's daughter Samantha Bodden. But Keith was wearing a 20-pound chain - which he was allegedly never told to remove before approaching the screening machine, the GoFundMe states. '[The technician] forgot to inform him to take the chain he was wearing from around his neck off when the magnet sucked him in,' Bodden wrote. While speaking out about the gut-wrenching moment, Adrienne recalled to News 12: 'I saw him walk toward the table and then the machine just snatched him. He went limp in my arms - and this is still pulsating in my brain. Keith's panicked wife and the employee allegedly tried to pull him out of the machine for several minutes before the police were called. Keith was 'attached to the machine for almost an hour before they could release the chain,' Bodden explained. The following day, Keith died at the hospital after having 'several heart attacks' related to the harrowing incident. Just as Bodden wrote on the fundraiser page, Adrienne has asserted the technician was well aware Keith was wearing a chain. She alleged the worker allowed her husband into the room despite the piece of jewelry, which had been worn on previous visits to the same facility. 'That was not the first time that guy had seen that chain. They'd had a conversation about it before,' she said. Bodden has also refuted reports that Keith was not allowed to enter the MRI room, reiterating the sentiment that he was invited in by the allegedly forgetful employee. 'Several news stations are saying he wasn't authorized to be in the room when in fact he was because the technician went and brought him into the room,' Bodden wrote. Police are investigating the incident, but do not believe any foul play was involved. Authorities have claimed Keith did not have authorization to enter the room. Daily Mail approached management at Nassau Open MRI for comment. MRI machines generate strong magnetic fields and radio waves to create detailed internal images of the human body. The magnetic pull of MRIs are so strong that it is capable of flinging a wheelchair across the room, according to the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. When undergoing on MRI procedure, patients are generally asked to remove all jewelry and piercings to remain safe. People with certain medical implants are unable to go into an MRI machine at all. This generally includes people with cochlear implants, blood vessel stents, cardiac defibrillators and pacemakers. Keith's GoFundMe has already raised about $6,600 towards funeral expenses. 'Keith was a husband, a father, a stepfather, a grandfather, a brother, and an uncle. He was a friend to many,' Bodden wrote.
Daily Mail
20-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Man, 61, dies after being sucked into medical imaging machine by his metallic necklace
A man died after he was sucked into an MRI machine by his necklace. The 61-year-old, identified as Keith McAllister, succumbed to his injuries a day after the freak accident at a clinic in Westbury, New York, on Wednesday. Police said the man was dragged into the medical machine by his 'large metal chain' after reportedly defying orders to stay out of the room. The Nassau County Police Department said the man walked into the MRI room at the Nassau County Open MRI facility while a scan was in progress and was pulled into the machine. One witness told CBS News he had defied orders to stay out of the room after he heard his relative screaming from inside and got concerned. His wife, Adrienne Jones-McAllister, had just completed an MRI on her knee and asked a technician to bring her husband in to help her off the table. When McAllister entered the room - still wearing the 20lb metal chain his wife said he 'used for weight training' - the machine's powerful magnetic force suddenly pulled him in. 'I saw him walk toward the table and then the machine just snatched him,' Jones-McAllister recalled to News 12 Long Island. 'He went limp in my arms - and this is still pulsating in my brain.' She alleged that the technician allowed her husband into the room despite the visible chain, which had been worn on previous visits to the same facility. 'That was not the first time that guy had seen that chain. They'd had a conversation about it before,' she said. After the incident, McAllister suffered multiple heart attacks and later died from his injuries, she said. McAllister's stepdaughter, Samantha Bodden, echoed her mother's sentiment, blaming the technician for her stepfather's premature death. 'While my mother was laying on the table, the technician left the room to get her husband to help her off the table. 'He forgot to inform him to take the chain he was wearing from around his neck off when the magnet sucked him in,' Bodden wrote on Facebook Friday. She also pushed back against claims reported by 'several news stations' that McAllister was not authorized to be in the room. 'Several news stations are saying he wasn't authorized to be in the room, when in fact he was because the technician went and brought him into the room,' she wrote on a GoFundMe page organized to help cover burial expenses. Jones-McAllister told News 12 that she had called out to her husband after asking the technician to get him. She said the technician summoned him into the room, despite his wearing the heavy chain - an item they had even joked about on a previous visit, saying things like: 'Ooooooh, that's a big chain!' When he got close to her, she said, 'at that instant, the machine switched him around, pulled him in, and he hit the MRI.' 'I said: "Could you turn off the machine, call 911, do something - turn this damn thing off!"' she recalled, as tears ran down her face. 'He went limp in my arms.' She added that the technician tried to help her pull McAllister off the machine, but it was impossible. An investigation is continuing, but police have said there is no criminality involved and it appears to have been an accident. An official cause of death has yet to be released in the incident, but one staff doctor at North Shore University Hospital speculated on a potential cause. Dr Payal Sud told CBS: '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.' When undergoing an MRI procedure, patients are generally asked to remove all jewelry and piercings to remain safe. The machine generates strong magnetic fields and radio waves to create detailed internal images of the human body. The magnetic pull is so strong that it is capable of throwing a wheelchair across a room, according to the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. When undergoing an MRI procedure, patients are generally asked to remove all jewelry and piercings to remain safe. Injuries and deaths from MRI machines, while rare, have happened in the past. In 2001, a six-year-old boy was killed at Westchester Medical Center in New York when an metal oxygen tank was pulled into the machine while he was being scanned. And in 2018 a man died in India when he entered an MRI room holding an oxygen tank.
