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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.
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The family of Keith McAllister says a technician failed to warn the victim about dangers before inviting him into room where he became trapped. (iStock/GoFundMe)
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.
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Danger sign on wall outside an MRI scanner exam room (iStock)
“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.
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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.”
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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.
Fox News’ Melissa Rudy contributed to this report.
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 stepheny.price@fox.com