Huge update in case after man died when being sucked into MRI machine wearing metal chain

There has been a significant update in the case which saw a man tragically die after he wore a metal chain near an MRI machine last year.

On 16 July 2025, 61-year-old Keith McAllister entered a room on Nassau Open MRI, New York, where an MRI machine was operating while wearing a heavy metal necklace that resulted in him being 'drawn into the machine'.

He was in attendance because his wife Adrienne Jones-McAllister had been in the machine getting her knee scanned, with her saying she'd asked if her husband could enter the room to help her up once the scan was finished, but he ended up entering without permission while the scan was still underway.

MRI machines rely on strong magnetic fields in order to produce the detailed images, and Mr McAllister's chain saw him dragged into the machine, with the incident leading to him suffering multiple heart attacks.

"The male victim was wearing a large metallic chain around his neck causing him to be drawn into the machine, which resulted in a medical episode," said Nassau County Police Department, which began investigating the incident last year.

MRI machines can be crucial in identifying health issues but they're also dangerous (Getty Stock)

Heavy metal items worn around MRI machines would likely drag the wearer towards the machine at a high speed, which could lead to serious injuries, while it can also cause burns as it heats up rapidly when close to the machine.

According to the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, the force of it is so powerful that it’s ‘strong enough to fling a wheelchair across the room’.

He was able to 'wave goodbye' to his wife before dying in hospital the following day, and now she has filed a lawsuit with the state Supreme Court in Nassau County, accused the radiology office of negligence after they allegedly failed to tell her husband that he needed to remove the chain.

She claims that she has experienced 'severe and serious personal, psychological and emotional injuries' following the tragic accident that led to her husband's death, resulting in 'permanent effects of pain, disability, disfigurement and loss of body function', as per Newsday.

61-year-old Keith McAllister died after he was dragged into an MRI machine (GoFundMe)

The grieving widow also 'witnessed and was totally aware through all of her senses of the injuries and suffering and eventual death of her husband'.

Meanwhile, in a GoFundMe which was set up to support the family, Adrienne's daughter Samantha Bodden suggested that the technician working at the medical centre 'forgot to inform' Mr McAllister that he needed to remove the chain before entering.

It has not been disclosed how much Mr McAllister's widow is seeking in damages, although she does also claim that the technician and her husband had spoken previously spoken about his chain.