A 61-year-old Westbury man has died after being pulled into an MRI machine while wearing a heavy metal chain around his neck, Nassau County police confirmed.
The man, who had been in critical condition since the incident on Wednesday, was pronounced dead at 2:36 p.m. Thursday, by a hospital physician.
Police said the man entered an active MRI room without authorization at Nassau Open MRI, located at 1570 Old Country Road in Westbury, while a scan was in progress. The magnetic force of the machine pulled the 20-pound metal chain he was wearing into the scanner, resulting in a medical emergency. He was rushed to a nearby hospital.
While Nassau police did not publicly identify the victim, his family has said publicly that the man was Keith McAllister of Westbury. The outlet, citing sources, said McAllister had been accompanying his wife to the facility for her own scan.
According to his family, McAllister had worn the chain near MRI equipment during prior visits to the facility. It was described as a large, weighted chain similar to those used in strength training.
McAllistar’s step-daughter Samantha Bodden insists that the MRI technician “forgot to inform him” to take off his chain.
“While my mother was laying on the table, the technician left the room to get her husband to help her off the table,” she posted on her Facebook page. “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,” Bodden continued. “He was attached to the machine for almost an hour before they could release the chain.”
McAllister’s wife Adrienne Jones-McAllister told News 12 that her husband hit the machine and “went limp in my arms” after seeing the machine “snatch him” after he walked toward the machine.
An extremely rare event
Deaths caused by being physically pulled into or slammed into an MRI machine are extremely rare, though serious injuries can and do occur under very specific circumstances.
A 2019 FDA review of global adverse event data found only a handful of MRI-related deaths worldwide over a 10-year period, with just three attributed to magnet‑related incidents such as objects being pulled into the scanner.
The investigation remains ongoing, police said.
Fundraising for the family
Bodden has created a GoFundMe page to help support her mother in setting up McAllister’s funeral arrangements. The fundraising effort, set up Friday evening, has yet to receive a donation.
“Keith was a husband, a father, a stepfather, a grandfather, a brother, and an uncle. He was a friend to many. He was on a fixed income from social security and didn’t have much,” Bodden wrote on the GoFundMe page.
“So at this time, my mother is asking for help with expenses to help bury him,” she added. “Anything will help and is very much appreciated. We thank you for understanding during this time of loss.”
Top photos: Keith McAllister, 61, of Westbury (Facebook).
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