logo
Man dies after weight-training chain around neck pulls him into MRI machine

Man dies after weight-training chain around neck pulls him into MRI machine

The Guardian5 days ago
A man who wore a large weight-training chain around his neck and approached his wife while a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine scanned her knee at a clinic in New York died after the device forcefully pulled him, according to police and media reports.
Keith McAllister, 61, was killed at the Nassau Open MRI clinic in Westbury, Long Island, after he accompanied his wife, Adrienne Jones-McAllister, there on 16 July.
Adrienne told the local outlet News 12 Long Island that an MRI machine there was scanning her knee when she called out to her husband, 'Keith, come help me up' from the table. The technician operating the machine – which looks like a long, narrow tube with openings on each end – then allowed Keith to walk in while he donned a nearly 20lb (9kg) metal chain that he used for weight training.
Police in Nassau county, New York, said Keith was then sucked into the device by its potent magnetic force. He endured 'a medical episode' at that point which left him in critical condition at a hospital, and he was pronounced dead a day later, police said.
Adrienne told News 12 that her late husband had suffered several heart attacks after the incident with the MRI machine and before his death. She recalled, through tears, 'seeing the machine snatch him and pull him into the machine'.
She said she implored for the clinic to call for emergency help and, referring to the machine, to 'turn this damn thing off!'
But eventually Keith 'went limp in my arms,' Adrienne recounted. 'This is still pulsating in my brain.'
Adrienne told News 12 that she and her husband had previously been to Nassau Open MRI, and he had worn his weight-training chain there before.
'This was not the first time that guy [had] seen that chain,' Adrienne said to the station. 'They had a conversation about it before.'
A person who picked up a phone call to Nassau Open MRI on Monday said the facility had no comment.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates MRI safety and warns that scans with the technology can create a 'strong, static magnetic field' that poses physical hazards. The agency says that 'careful screening of people and objects entering the MRI environment is critical to ensure nothing enters the magnet area that may become a projectile' and dangerous to anyone nearby.
The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, meanwhile, cautions that MRI machines exerts 'very powerful forces on objects of iron, some steels and other magnetizable objects' and have the strength 'to fling a wheelchair across the room'.
McAllister was not the first person killed by an MRI machine in New York. In 2001, Michael Colombini, 6, died when an oxygen tank flew into an MRI chamber that he was in, having been pulled in by the machine at a medical center in Westchester county.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Canadian wildfires prompt New York air quality alert
Canadian wildfires prompt New York air quality alert

BBC News

time40 minutes ago

  • BBC News

Canadian wildfires prompt New York air quality alert

An air quality health advisory has been issued for New York City and its surrounding areas because of smoke from wildfires in Canada. In a post on X, New York state's Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Department of Health (DOH) issued the advisory for Long Island, New York City Metro, Lower Hudson Valley, Upper Hudson Valley, and the Adirondacks on Saturday. Authorities are warning air quality in those regions is "unhealthy for sensitive groups".Wildfires in Canada have forced tens of thousands of people to leave their homes, and the smoke drifting over the border has sparked air quality concerns across the northern United States. The air quality index (AQI) is predicted to be above 100 in much of New York state on Saturday, and could reach 135. Alerts are also in place for parts of New AQI measures the severity of pollution in the air and categorises health risks. The higher the number, the more unsafe the air is to breathe. This is not the first time US authorities have issued air quality alerts because of smoke from the Canadian mid-July, a similar alert was issued for Chicago, with additional precautions advised for babies and the political implications of the wildfire smoke have also reached in July, six members of Congress wrote to the Canadian ambassador complaining that smoke from wildfires was making it difficult for Americans to enjoy their are currently more than 550 active fires in Canada, with the most concentrated in the province of Manitoba, according to authorities. 6.1 million hectares (15 million acres) of land has been burnt across the country in the past and June were particularly destructive months in western Canada, with roughly 30,000 people forced to evacuate in the provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, where local administrations declared a state of have consistently linked the intensifying wildfire seasons to climate is believed to be warming at twice the global average rate, and its Arctic regions are heating up at nearly three times the global rate, scientists have warned.

California woman, 18, is disfigured in freak accident involving s'mores on a tabletop firepit
California woman, 18, is disfigured in freak accident involving s'mores on a tabletop firepit

Daily Mail​

time4 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

California woman, 18, is disfigured in freak accident involving s'mores on a tabletop firepit

A California woman's been left disfigured after flames 'exploded' in her face while making s'mores over an outdoor firepit. Viana Poggi, 18, was enjoying a fun summer night on July 6 with her cousin Alaina Arbiso when chaos unfolded before their eyes. While using a cement tabletop firepit, flames suddenly blew toward Poggi, leaving her with blistering burns on her face and arms. Her cousin Arbiso said all she could remember was how fast everything happened in that terrifying moment, before she pushed her relative into a nearby pool. Arbiso said: 'Within, like, a millisecond, you don't even see it coming - you have no time to react. It just happened.' After pushing Poggi into the water, Arbiso then grabbed a hose and sprayed down the flames spreading on the table. Another family member was also hit by the dangerous flames, but only Poggi was severely injured. When she got to a local burns center, staff asked Poggi about what was used to fuel the firepit. Poggi said: 'Even when I got to the ER, I just said I got hit by fire, and they asked me, "Was it rubbing alcohol?" Because it's so common for people to be burned that way.' A friend of hers Alexandra Welsh, who's a trauma nurse in the emergency room, was shocked after seeing someone she knew arrive with such intense injuries. Welsh said: 'I work at a trauma center, so I see a lot of traumatic injuries come in, but it is so different when it is someone who you think of as a little sister.' Despite the freak accident impacting her life, Poggi, who's been left with scars and burn marks, decided to make the best of it. She documented her recovery on TikTok, where she showed herself wearing a hospital gown when she was still covered in bandages. Poggi said: 'I always remember it could have been worse. I try to keep a good attitude.' The teen's due to start college soon at the University of San Francisco but, because of the burns, she's also preparing for several procedures to help with her recover. A GoFundMe page was set up by Arbiso to help her cousin with medical expenses while she embarked on the next chapter of her life. Arbiso wrote about Poggi: 'With the big move coming, multiple reconstruction surgeries, and a long emotional/physical recovery in her foreseeable future, [she's] going to need all the help she can get.' Poggi hoped that her unfortunate experience would make other people think twice before they used specific types of firepits. She said: 'I really want people to know the danger of using an alcohol-fueled pit because they are so common. We owned, I think, three of them.' There were several types of tabletop alcohol-fueled firepit available to buy online and in stores. Some were fueled by gel fuel, wood, wood pellets, and propane. Last year, multiple types of the vessel were recalled by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The recall on the popular brand Colsen's pits warned that 'alcohol flames can be invisible and lead to flame jetting when refilling the firepit reservoir'.

Rabies is making a comeback: here's what you need to know
Rabies is making a comeback: here's what you need to know

The Independent

time7 hours ago

  • The Independent

Rabies is making a comeback: here's what you need to know

Cases of rabies, a viral and potentially fatal disease that primarily spreads through the bites or scratches of infected animals, have recently been reported around the Northeast. This week, officials in the town of Westfield, New Jersey, issued a public health alert after two reports of bites associated with a raccoon that may be infected with rabies, put the surrounding communities on high alert. Last week, New York's Nassau County Department of Health declared an imminent public health threat in response to the ongoing spread of rabies among wild and feral-domesticated animals in the county. 'The resurgence of rabies in Nassau County, with its high population density and after nearly a decade of absence, represents a serious and evolving public health concern,' Nassau County Health Commissioner Dr. Irina Gelman said in a release. 'This declaration allows us to respond to prevent further spread and protect the health and safety of Nassau County residents.' The resurgence comes after the county had successfully eradicated the virus since 2016. Over the last year, the department has confirmed 25 rabid animals, including raccoons and feral cats. The department noted that surveillance data shows that the virus is circulating in the area. "Let me be clear, there is no cause for alarm, as we have not yet received any reports of human transmission,' Gelman said, according People. 'However, the time for prevention is now." The declaration comes as health authorities in nearby Suffolk County reported two cases of rabies — the first since 2009. But, whether or not an uptick in new cases indicate that rabies is becoming more prevalent in the region is unclear right now. The summer season has something to do with it, Stony Brook Children's Hospital Chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases Division Dr. Sharon Nachman told News 12 Long Island. "It is a question of where you are and what the season is, and certainly the summertime is always associated with more bites and more worries about rabies," she said. A large number of cases has also been reported in Queens. Around 4,000 animal rabies cases are reported each year. The animals most frequently found with rabies in the U.S. are bats, skunks, raccoons, and foxes, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. Outside of the Northeast, there has been a rise in cases linked to bats, resulting in three rabies deaths in a period of just five weeks a couple of years ago, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2021, five Americans died of rabies, the largest number in a decade. Human-caused climate change has resulted in the expansion of vampire bats' habitat, and increased the risk of rabies in domestic animals, according to scientists. This week, Denver Animal Protection warned that the public should be cautious after two bats tested positive for the rabies virus, 9 News reported. Still, fewer than 10 people in the U.S. die from rabies each year. That's thanks to post-exposure care and the rabies vaccine. Nearly 100,000 people are vaccinated following a possible exposure each year. Treatment is nearly 100 percent effective if you get it after an exposure. Initial rabies symptoms are similar to the flu, including fever, headache, and muscle aches. They can progress to neurological and physical symptoms, such as delirium, a fear of water, and seizures. To prevent the risk of infection, there are several steps people can take. Make sure pets are up to date with their vaccines, stay away from wildlife, call animal control to remove stray animals from the neighborhoods, and wash any bites or scratches immediately with soap and water after possible exposures before seeking medical attention. 'Rabies is preventable through vaccination and pet owners should remember that the best protection is to vaccinate for rabies and license all pets with the town,' Westfield officials said.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store