Lawyer for Westbury MRI victim Keith McAllister says deadly incident was 'preventable'

The law firm representing the family of a Westbury man who died after being pulled into an open MRI machine said it was "a preventable incident."

The statement from attorney Michael Lauterborn provided to Newsday on Wednesday said his Manhattan firm, Smith, Cheung & Lauterborn PC, was representing the family of victim Keith McAllister — and said the family "is devastated and seeking answers."

The firm also said it is "committed to ensuring all facts surrounding this incident are thoroughly investigated by the Nassau County Police Department and the New York State Department of Health."

That statement did not explain why the firm, or the family, believes the incident was preventable.

Police said McAllister, 61, died Thursday, one day after being critically injured when he was pulled into the machine at Nassau Open MRI, 1570 Old Country Rd. in Westbury. He was wearing a large metallic chain around his neck at the time of the incident, police said.

A magnetic resonance imaging machine, known simply as an MRI, uses strong magnets and radio waves to generate images of the inside of a patient's body. As normal procedure, patients are ordered to remove all metallic and electronic objects before an MRI scan — and part of that screening generally involves discussion with staff administering the MRI to ensure compliance.

Room access is generally restricted or limited.

How McAllister ended up in the room remains unclear. A worker at Nassau Open MRI previously told Newsday the man wasn't a patient and a statement from Nassau police about the incident said officers arriving at the scene were "informed" McAllister was "unauthorized" to enter the room — though no further detail or explanation of that account has been provided. Police said Wednesday the case remains under investigation.

In the statement on Wednesday, Lauterborn said: "This heartbreaking incident highlights the critical importance of safety protocols in medical imaging facilities. The family and our legal team are dedicated to assisting the appropriate authorities in their investigation and in efforts to ensure accountability and prevent similar tragedies in the future."

Dr. Emanuel Kanal, founder of the American Board of Magnetic Resonance Safety and director of Magnetic Resonance Services at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, last week told Newsday that since the invention of MRI technology more than four decades ago, the number of people who worldwide have died as a result of a projectile being drawn into the machine during a scan is in the single digits.

That number includes patients and accompanying family members.

This week is MRI Safety Week, inspired by the 2001 death of a 6-year-old patient who was fatally struck by an oxygen tank during an MRI scan in Westchester County. According to its website, the awareness week is usually held the last week of July.

Newsday's Matthew Chayes contributed to this story.