Posted on 07/19/2025 4:28:20 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
A man has died after getting sucked into an MRI machine.
The accident occurred on July 16 at the Nassau Open MRI in Westbury, New York, according to a press release from the Nassau County Police Department in Long Island.
Officers responded to a 911 call at around 4:30 p.m. at the MRI center, which provides diagnostic radiology services.
"Upon arrival, officers were informed that a male, 61, entered an unauthorized Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) room while the scan was in progress," the release stated.
"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."
The man was transported to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries the next day, on July 17.
The investigation is ongoing, according to the police department.
Nassau Open MRI states on its website that anything metallic should be removed prior to an MRI, including hearing aids, partial plates, dentures, jewelry and hair pins.
On a web page detailing the benefits and risks of MRIs, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notes that "the strong, static magnetic field will attract magnetic objects (from small items such as keys and cell phones, to large, heavy items such as oxygen tanks and floor buffers) and may cause damage to the scanner or injury to the patient or medical professionals if those objects become projectiles."
"Careful screening of people and objects entering the MR environment is critical to ensure nothing enters the magnet area that may become a projectile."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
And hips or knees.
A of details are missing here. I don’t think this guy was the patient.
actually, the article leads on to believe that the guy who was killed entered an unauthorized area WHILE an MRI scan was in progress on another person ...
Those photos are amazing!
I’m betting on barged in, but TBD.
The other person was his wife, who says she asked the tech to ask her husband to help her up.
Sounds like he was aiming for suicide by MRI. These machines are astronomically expensive. He probably caused a huge backlog in appointments while the machine was shut down, cleaned and repaired!
What does one do when they have gold crowns in their mouth???
Gold is not ferromagnetic.
And the kick is ..... Wide Right.
DO NOT! Or there will be a large occurrence.
“The tech must’ve believed the machine was turned off.”
There is no turn off for the magnet. The magnet is full strength 24/7/365.
It is a superconducting electromagnet. Once they get the current flowing it flows around and around in the coil without loss.
The only way to stop it is warm the coil so it no longer is a superconductor, in other words, vent off all of the liquid helium that cools the magnet coil.
That puts the machine out of order for days and costs thousands and thousands of dollars to get it going again.
I saw the news report on this where they interviewed a doctor at the MRI center. She said the autopsy had not been completed, but that it was likely strangulation or possibly a broken neck. What a horrible way to go. They also said there is a technician outside the room whose job it is to scan the patient with a metal detector wand before allowing them to enter. I guess someone missed a step, or maybe he walked into the wrong room.
I had to remove my navel ring when I got an MRI. I never put it back in because after taking it out, I realized how irritating it was. Damn thing had never healed correctly.
(They also said there is a technician outside the room whose job it is to scan the patient with a metal detector wand before allowing them to enter.)
Looks like his wife will be a multi millionaire in the near future.
I had a colleague who had a tattoo on her shoulder with blue and silver metallic ink in it. She had to get a spinal MRI and that tattoo started to burn her skin, so they had to remove her from the machine.
You’re right. I caught my error earlier and corrected myself in post #96. Thanks.
I would guess that many people don’t realize it’s always on.
it makes me wonder if locking the door to the MRI room when a scan is in progress is SOP, and that wasn’t done in this case ...
just now looking it up, locking the door is indeed SOP ...
Too bad there isn’t a machine that’s not so dangerous. Either you get a test which irradiates you or you use a machine that can suck something out of you or onto you. What a choice!
I’ve had a couple of MRIs, and I come out feeling a little disoriented. I don’t like them, but what else can you do?
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