A 61-year-old man has died following a tragic accident at a New York imaging clinic after his metal necklace was pulled into an active MRI machine.
According to the Nassau County Police, the incident occurred at Nassau Open MRI in Westbury, when the victim entered the scan room wearing a large metal chain weighing approximately 20 pounds. The MRI scanner’s powerful magnetic field reportedly attracted the necklace with great force, pulling the man into the machine and causing severe injuries.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition but succumbed to his injuries the next day.
The victim’s wife, who was undergoing an MRI scan on her knee at the time, told News 12 Long Island that she had asked a technician to allow her husband into the room to assist her afterward. She expressed shock that the technician allowed him to enter despite the visible necklace, which her husband wore regularly for weight training. She also stated the couple had previously visited the same clinic and that her husband had worn the same chain before without incident.
The clinic’s website, as cited by Fox News, clearly instructs patients to remove all metal items before undergoing an MRI scan, including jewelry, hearing aids, and hairpins, warnings rooted in the well-known dangers posed by MRI magnetic fields.
Police have opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death and whether safety protocols were properly followed.
This incident has sparked renewed calls for stricter adherence to MRI safety procedures, as well as questions around staff training and oversight in private imaging clinics.
