A woman whose husband died after being pulled into an MRI machine has now filed a lawsuit, alleging negligence by the medical facility and others involved, marking a significant development in a case that has drawn attention to the dangers of powerful medical imaging equipment. According to Newsday, Adrienne Jones-McAllister has filed a lawsuit in state Supreme Court in Nassau County over the death of her husband, Keith McAllister, 61, who died after an incident at Nassau Open MRI in Westbury, New York on July 16, 2025. The lawsuit seeks an unspecified amount in damages and names several entities associated with the facility.
Lawsuit and allegations of negligence
Court documents filed Tuesday accuse the facility and related companies of failing to take basic safety precautions. Adrienne Jones-McAllister alleges that staff did not instruct her husband to remove his “large metal chain” before entering the MRI room and that the premises were unsafe. The lawsuit further claims that the defendants were “reckless and negligent by allowing unsafe conditions on the premises and by failing to implement or enforce safety protocols.” She says she has suffered “serious and severe personal, psychological and emotional injuries”, including effects described as “pain, disability, disfigurement and permanent effects of loss of physical function”. The filing also described the trauma of witnessing the incident, stating that she “witnessed and was fully aware through all of her senses of her husband’s injuries, suffering and eventual death.”
A 61-year-old man wearing a necklace got trapped in an MRI machine and suffered fatal injuries / Image: GoFundMe
The suite is named Nassau Open MRI PC; East Coast Radiology PC, which had a contract allowing the Westbury facility to use its MRI machine; Sun Enterprises, which leased the site; and GM Partners Westbury LLC, which owned the property. The case is being handled by attorney Andrew Finkelstein of Jacoby & Meyers with Crump Law Offices. According to Newsday, representatives of the companies named in the lawsuit did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
What happened on 16th July 2025
The incident occurred while Adrienne Jones-McAllister was undergoing an MRI scan of her knee. According to the lawsuit, her husband accompanied her to the appointment. She previously said he asked if he could enter the room to help her off the table after the scan was complete. However, the lawsuit says she was “called” into the room by a technician while the machine was still running. At the time, Keith McAllister was wearing a heavy metal chain around his neck, which reportedly weighed about 20 pounds and was used for weight training. As soon as he entered the room, the powerful magnetic field of the MRI machine attracted him. The Nassau County Police Department said at the time: “The male victim was wearing a large metal chain around his neck, which caused him to become trapped in the machine, resulting in a medical incident.” He was trapped in the front of the machine, and according to a family fundraiser, “he remained trapped for about an hour before the chain was freed from the machine.”
His last moments and medical response
Emergency responders arrived and transported him to the hospital in critical condition. He suffered several heart attacks after the incident. Despite efforts to save him, he died the next day. His wife later recalled that he was able to “say goodbye” to her before his death.
Keith McAllister, 61, died after being pulled into an MRI machine (GoFundMe)
The case has been under investigation since then, with a central question in the legal proceedings being how he was allowed to enter the room while wearing metal.
Risks of MRI Machines and Safety Protocols
MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, machines rely on extremely strong magnetic fields to generate detailed images of the body. These fields can exert powerful forces on metal objects. According to the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, the magnetic force is strong enough to act on “iron objects, some steels, and other magnetic objects” and “can be strong enough to blow a wheelchair across the room.” Because of this, strict security protocols are standard. Patients and anyone entering the room are usually required to remove all metal objects, including jewelery and accessories, before approaching the machine. Guidance from Columbia University Irving Medical Center similarly warns that metal objects can be pulled toward the scanner at high speed, posing a serious risk of injury.
Family history and unanswered questions
Following the incident, family accounts have pointed to possible lapses in communication. In a GoFundMe page set up to support the family, Adrienne’s daughter, Samantha Bowden, suggested that the technician “forgot to notify” Keith McAllister to remove the chain. The lawsuit also states that McAllister and the technician had previously had conversations about the series, although the details of that exchange have not been fully disclosed. It is not clear how much compensation the widow is seeking. The case is expected to proceed through the courts, where questions related to responsibility, safety protocols and the sequence of events inside the MRI room will be examined in detail.