A New York man died after being pulled into an MRI machine by its magnetic force while wearing a heavy metal chain used for weight training, according to police and his widow.
Keith McAllister, 61, was at the Nassau Open MRI clinic in Westbury, Long Island, on 16 July with his wife, Adrienne Jones-McAllister, who was having her knee scanned. She called for his help, and a technician allowed him to enter the room still wearing the nearly 20lb (9kg) chain.
Police said McAllister was sucked into the machine by its powerful magnet and suffered a medical episode. He was taken to hospital in critical condition and died the following day. His widow said he had multiple heart attacks after the incident.
Adrienne told local media she saw the machine 'snatch him and pull him into the machine' and begged staff to turn it off. She said her husband went limp in her arms, and the ordeal is 'still pulsating in my brain'. A GoFundMe page claimed he was attached to the machine for almost an hour before the chain could be removed.
She stated that the couple had visited the clinic before and that staff had previously seen the chain. The clinic declined to comment. The US Food and Drug Administration warns that MRI machines create a strong magnetic field that can turn metal objects into dangerous projectiles.
