Widow of Keith McAllister, sucked into Westbury MRI machine, sues over husband's death

The widow of a 61-year-old man killed after being dragged into an MRI machine by his large metal neck chain in Westbury last July is suing the radiology office and other businesses, according to papers filed Tuesday in state Supreme Court in Nassau County.

Adrienne Jones McAllister, of Hempstead, is seeking an unspecified amount in the death of her husband, Keith McAllister, accusing the facility of not telling him to remove his "large metallic chain." It also said the facility was negligent and careless by allowing unsafe conditions on the premises and failing to have or implement safety protocols.

She suffered "severe and serious personal, psychological and emotional injuries," including some that have caused "permanent effects of pain, disability, disfigurement and loss of body function," according to the lawsuit.

A message left with Nassau Open MRI was not returned Tuesday, and representatives for the other companies named in the lawsuit could not be reached for comment. 

On July 16, Jones McAllister was at Nassau Open MRI to have an MRI of her knee, accompanied by her husband. The lawsuit says he was "summoned" into the room by a technician to help his wife get off the table while the machine was on. He was then dragged into the MRI by its powerful magnets.

According to an interview she gave after his death, Jones McAllister said the chain weighed 20 pounds and he used it for weight training. He was attached to the MRI machine "for almost an hour before they could release the chain from the machine," according to an online fundraiser by a family member. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition where he later died, according to police news releases.

Jones McAllister "witnessed and was totally aware through all of her senses of the injuries and suffering and eventual death of her husband," according to the lawsuit. The suit names Nassau Open MRI, P.C.; East Coast Radiology, P.C., which had a contract allowing the Westbury facility to use its MRI machine; Sun Enterprises, a limited liability company that leased the facility; and GM Partners Westbury LLC, which owned the facility.

McAllister's lawsuit was filed by attorney Andrew Finkelstein of Jacoby & Meyers and the Crump Law Office. Neither immediately commented Tuesday.

MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, machines use strong magnetic fields that can exert "very powerful forces on objects of iron, some steels, and other magnetizable objects," according to the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. For example, that field is "strong enough to fling a wheelchair across the room."

People are typically advised to remove all jewelry and metal accessories before entering a room with an MRI machine because of the powerful magnets in the machines, according to the Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

By Lisa L. Colangelo

lisa.colangelo@newsday.com@lisalcolangelo

Lisa joined Newsday as a staff writer in 2019. She previously worked at amNewYork, the New York Daily News and the Asbury Park Press covering politics, government and general assignment.