Man dies after being pulled into MRI machine while wearing metal chain

 

By Sumesh Rajan | July 20, 2025

Westbury, New York, USA: A 61-year-old Long Island man died after being pulled into an MRI machine while wearing a heavy metal chain, in a tragic accident at a medical imaging center in Westbury, authorities confirmed Friday.

The incident occurred on Wednesday July 16, at Nassau Open MRI, where the victim, Keith McAllister, was accompanying his wife, Adrienne Jones-McAllister, who was undergoing a knee scan.

According to police and witness accounts, McAllister entered the MRI room to assist his wife, who was in visible pain and attempting to get off the scanning table. Despite safety protocols requiring non-patients to remain outside the MRI suite, McAllister reportedly rushed in wearing a 20-pound metal neck chain commonly used for weight training.

The powerful magnetic field of the MRI machine immediately attracted the chain, pulling McAllister into the scanner. His wife described the moment as harrowing.

“His body went limp in my arms, and this is still pulsating in my brain,” Adrienne told reporters.

Attempts by the MRI technician and Adrienne to pull him away from the machine failed. Emergency responders rushed McAllister to North Shore University Hospital in critical condition, but he succumbed to his injuries on Thursday.

Authorities stated McAllister was not a patient at the time of the incident. Nassau County Police confirmed an investigation is underway by the department’s homicide squad, though no criminal charges have been filed.

Medical experts weighed in on the rare but dangerous risk posed by ferromagnetic materials near MRI equipment.

“If this was a chain wrapped around the neck, I can imagine strangulation or cervical spine injuries as a result,” said Dr. Payal Sud, a staff doctor at North Shore University Hospital.

Adrienne told reporters that her husband had visited the facility previously while wearing the same chain and alleged that the attending technician had seen it before. “That was not the first time that guy has seen that chain,” she said.

The tragedy has renewed calls for strict enforcement of MRI safety protocols and thorough screening of anyone entering the scanner room.

No official cause of death has been released pending autopsy results