A 61-year-old man, Keith McAllister, wearing a 20 lbs (9 kg) chain locked to his neck, was pronounced dead a day after he was drawn-in by a Magnetic Resonance Imaging machine in Nissau Open MRI in Westbury, New York’s Long Island, USA.
He had taken his wife, Adrienne, for a knee MRI test on 16 June, 2025.
This was not their first time.
MRI is a 3-D imaging technology for diagnostic purposes. It uses large magnets to align Hydrogen protons in a patient’s body to make images of the internal tissues in a non-invasive manner.
As required by the US Food and Drug Administration, the patient is pre-screened to remove any ferrous items that can be attracted to the magnets before the machine is switched on.
Items like ear rings, wrist watches, mobile phones, keys, chains, are removed as they can turn to projectiles causing serious injury to the patient and staff in a strong magnetic field.
Keith, the patient’s husband, was not screened and was not authorized to enter the MRI room. He waited outside with his huge metallic chain locked in his neck, which he uses for weight training exercise.
Just after the MRI test, with the machine still on, Adrienne had problem getting up and yelled for the husband to help her.
Keith rushed in from outside, and the magnets pulled the huge chain with him into the machine.
The operator rushed to switch-off the MRI machine, but his body was limp.
He was taken to hospital and died the following day from his injuries.
Questions are being raised: should patients be locked in with the operator in an MRI room? How can they be reached in an emergency? The MRI room is restricted to unauthorised persons like Keith, and a “No Entry” sign is at the door.
The police say they are investigating the incident.
