Man sucked into MRI machine dies from his injuries, Long Island police say

A man who was sucked into an MRI machine died from the severe injuries he suffered, police on New York’s Long Island said. 

Nassau County police said the man was wearing a large metallic chain and entered an MRI room while a scan was in progress Wednesday at Nassau Open MRI in Westbury. 

The man, 61, died from his injuries the day after the incident at the hospital, police said Friday.   

Police said a witness told them he defied orders to stay out of the room after he heard a patient, his relative, screaming during a scan. 

When he entered, the magnetic machine pulled the chain around his neck and caused him to be drawn in as well, police said. 

Doctors follow strict MRI safety protocols

MRI machines can be especially dangerous around people with oxygen tanks, in wheelchairs or wearing magnetic jewelry. That’s why patients are told to remove all metal and electrical objects before getting scanned, doctors and staff at North Shore University Hospital told CBS News New York. 

“It would act like a torpedo trying to get into the middle of the center of the magnet,” Charles Winterfeldt, the hospital’s director of imaging services, said. 

“The dangers could be catastrophic and it underscores why we have all the safety precautions in place,” Dr. Payal Sud said. 

Still, experts say injuries and deaths tied to MRI machines are rare when magnets pull an object from inside a room. 

Nassau Open MRI, which has multiple locations in the New York area, declined CBS News New York’s initial request for comment.