Man wearing necklace killed by MRI machine

[Maru]

‘Twist him around, pulled him in’: Man wearing necklace killed by MRI machine
https://ktla.com/news/nationworld/twist-him-around-pulled-him-in-man-wearing-necklace-killed-by-mri-machine/

A 61-year-old man who was wearing a 20-pound chain used for weight training when he was sucked into an MRI scanner while attempting to help his wife off the machine last week has died, according to law enforcement and multiple media reports.

Man who died in freak MRI accident was jammed in machine for almost an hour, never told to remove 20-pound chain: family
https://nypost.com/2025/07/21/us-news/man-who-died-in-freak-mri-accident-was-jammed-in-machine-for-almost-and-hour-never-told-to-remove-20-pound-chain-family/

The Long Island man killed in a freak MRI accident while wearing a massive, 20-pound chain was led into the machine room by a forgetful technician and wound up attached to the machine for an hour before he could be released, his family claimed.


Who walks around with a 20lb metal necklace??? Much less anywhere near the vicinity of a giant magnet???

[thesheriff443]

I read this story the other day
He ran in because his wife was screaming while in the machine

[Mystic Mock]

That's awful.

[Niamh.]

That's like one of the deaths in the newest final destination films, gruesome

[Ammi]

‘Twist him around, pulled him in’: Man wearing necklace killed by MRI machine
https://ktla.com/news/nationworld/twist-him-around-pulled-him-in-man-wearing-necklace-killed-by-mri-machine/



Man who died in freak MRI accident was jammed in machine for almost an hour, never told to remove 20-pound chain: family
https://nypost.com/2025/07/21/us-news/man-who-died-in-freak-mri-accident-was-jammed-in-machine-for-almost-and-hour-never-told-to-remove-20-pound-chain-family/




Who walks around with a 20lb metal necklace??? Much less anywhere near the vicinity of a giant magnet???

…I saw this story, it wasn’t really a necklace type chain as such…it was one used for weight training…I have seen pics of some that are on head harnesses so if was a similar thing, it’s not something that couldn’t have been seen/noticed and when his wife called for him…he apparently/allegedly etc walked past the technician who would have seen the chain if it’s a similar one…so it’s all very bizarre and very tragic….


…this is the type of thing that’s been described, I think…

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Visaman-Strength-Exerciser-Training-Adjustable/dp/B08XPH1K8J

[bots]

It's not really a freak accident when a 20lb chain is involved really. I'm sure something would happen every time it was repeated ....

[Ammi]

It's not really a freak accident when a 20lb chain is involved really. I'm sure something would happen every time it was repeated ....

…it’s a bit of a freak chain of events, I would say…/…no chain pun intended…that started off with him wearing the chain for the hospital visit…all just very sad that it concluded the way it did …

[bots]

any time ive been for an mri scan, i'm absolutely paranoid that i have metal on me :laugh:

[Ammi]

any time ive been for an mri scan, i'm absolutely paranoid that i have metal on me :laugh:

…that’s the thing, they often scan for metal and yet someone was allowed through with a huge neck brace chain…it’s all very strange and as Niamh said, very Final Destination…if we were watching it in a movie we would all be saying…no, that could never happen…

[Oliver_W]

How did the technician even allow him to go in wearing it?

[Ammi]

…if his wife was in some kind of distress/panic situation and calling for him…as it’s being reported that she was calling for him…?…the technician would have possibly been attending to her and focusing on her distress call and it would only take a moment for him to rush through and be sucked in…

[Oliver_W]

I've had a handful of MRIs in my time, and I've never not been asked about any jewellery or metal things...

[Niamh.]

I've had a handful of MRIs in my time, and I've never not been asked about any jewellery or metal things...Wtf? Really?

[bots]

the thing is the technician is in a separate room and has direct contact with the patient through headphones. Even if the guy was in the same room, the patient wouldnt hear him. It's all very strange. To me it sounds like a suicide attempt more than anything else

[Oliver_W]

Wtf? Really?

I phrased that clunkily, I meant there's never been a time I haven't been asked :laugh:

[AnnieK]

We only found out that my Grandad had been injured in the war (he never talked about that time, ever) when he went for a MRI and they asked if he had ever been injured and we found out he had been hit by shrapnel in a blast during the war and so they wouldn't let him have the MRI in case there was any metal shards still in his body.

[Ammi]

…apparently a 6yr old boy was killed in 2001 when a metal oxygen tank was left in the scanner room and was dragged into the scanner and crushed him…


…and obviously that tank was left there by someone on a medical team, even with every routine and stringent pre action they will take daily to ensure no metal in the area…(…I think…)…@bots …hence referring to this ‘chain reaction’ as a freak accident, it would have just so obviously been in view and seen but it somehow wasn’t prevented…it really is a freak occurrence…

[bots]

i was given a form to fill in before each mri. It's a reminder and also their get out of jail free card

[Cherie]

Is it not bizarre to be walking around with a 20 lb metal chain around your neck, horrible way to go though

[bots]

Is it not bizarre to be walking around with a 20 lb metal chain around your neck, horrible way to go though

that's why i would consider this suicide. It literally could have taken his head off

[Benjamin]

that's why i would consider this suicide. It literally could have taken his head off

I think it sounds more like lack of common sense/judgement on his part.

[Ammi]

…it is all very weird I have to say and it is feeling that we’re missing parts of the story/events or some such thing…the lady was having an MRI on her knee and is saying that she called for her husband to help her to stand up and that they’d previously had a conversation with the technician regarding her husband’s weight training neck chain so the technician was aware and should have prevented him from coming in…but she was also aware of the chain and the dangers so why did she call for her husband to come in to help her…?…knowing that could lead to something awful…why not call the technician if the first instance, who was the one who assisted her anyway…

[Ammi]

…he died the following day to the incident after having had multiple heart attacks…

[arista]

Terrible.

[Maru]

…it is all very weird I have to say and it is feeling that we’re missing parts of the story/events or some such thing…the lady was having an MRI on her knee and is saying that she called for her husband to help her to stand up and that they’d previously had a conversation with the technician regarding her husband’s weight training neck chain so the technician was aware and should have prevented him from coming in…but she was also aware of the chain and the dangers so why did she call for her husband to come in to help her…?…knowing that could lead to something awful…why not call the technician if the first instance, who was the one who assisted her anyway…

The latest statement I saw from the wife, the tech went to get him to get him to help her up (He might've been there as an assist) and forgot about the chain.

If it were me and I were the staff, I wouldn't let him anywhere in the facility with that chain. It's too much of a risk and if they'd joked about it in the past, then that means they knew the risks... they're 100% liable by most American legal standards if that's what indeed happened.

Still, he didn't have a bit of sense to bring a chunk of metal to Radiology. I personally think that makes him responsible, but it's not the legal standard in the US. Patients have to go through a process. That doesn't necessarily apply as thoroughly to people who come in with the patient and it's impossible to eliminate human error, especially where guests are involved as they're not "checked in" the same way as regular patients. Especially when things are out of order, so more prone to error...

That's why I think a lot more hospitals don't allow guests at all into X-ray areas and they're rooms deep. There's too many people coming in and out and personal property having to be dealt with (put into lockers). It's enough to monitor the patients and the machines. They can't keep full track of guests (much less their property) also because there are unfortunate people who will walk into rooms unprompted despite several red signs saying "In Progress"...

[Vanessa]

When I want for a scan they were very particular about not having metal on me.
The door was open, so anyone could have walked in. Maybe they should lock the door? Not sure if allowed.