The wife of a man who died in a tragic MRI accident is speaking out about the horrifying moment and her grief since.
Adrienne Jones-McAllister was at Nassau Open MRI in Westbury, NY, on July 16 for a routine knee scan when her husband, 61-year-old Kevin McAllister, was suddenly pulled into the MRI machine by its magnetic force.
“He went limp in my arms,” she told News 12 Long Island. “That moment is still stuck in my head.”
Kevin, wearing a 20-pound metal chain for weight training, entered the room during the scan. The magnetic field violently pulled him into the machine, causing multiple heart attacks. He died two days later.
Adrienne said she asked a technician to bring Kevin in to help her stand after her scan, and despite MRI safety rules, he was allowed in with the chain still on. “The machine snatched him,” she said. “I screamed, ‘Turn it off! Call 911!’”
MRI machines use powerful magnets, and federal guidelines strictly prohibit any metal in the scan area. Adrienne claims staff had previously commented on Kevin’s chain, making the tragedy even more devastating.
“I can’t sleep, barely eat,” she said. “He waved goodbye… and then his body just went limp.”