A 61-year-old man suffered serious injuries after a frightening accident deep inside an MRI machine in Long Island, New York. The man entered the room while wearing a metal chain around his neck in the midst of the MRI machine scanning him, resulting in a situation that escalated into a dangerous situation.

Most people only think of MRI machines as a means of imaging due to their “big donut” shape. However, MRI machines utilize extraordinarily strong magnets to image the inside of the body. Additionally, most people do not know that the magnet is always on, even when the machine is not taking images. Therefore, any metallic object brought into the room can become a dangerous projectile!

In this case, the MRI machine’s magnet was so powerful that it pulled the chain from the man’s neck and pulled him toward the machine. Police noted that the force was extreme enough to cause a “medical episode.” While authorities did not provide more detail about the man’s injuries or his status and condition, they did issue a warning to staff and asked that they document the event and develop agenda for orientation.

Around 4:30 PM on a Wednesday, at Nassau Open MRI-Old Country Road, Westbury, Long Island, emergency services were called and police responded rapidly to the incident. Although the man had been taken to the hospital, it was not yet certain if he was a patient of the MRI center, or why he had entered the scanning area during an active scan.

Many people online were left shocked and confused regarding the details. On social media, some were left wondering how the man entered a room that was clearly being scanned. “Aren’t MRI rooms supposed to lock when in use?” asked one user. “What happened to the patient that was already in the scanner?” asked another user.

Another user pointed out that “the MRI magnet is always on”, and noted that this is why there are such strict rules regarding safety pathways around an MRI machine. These machines don’t just simply scan patients, but if an object with any metal in it is drawn into the coils, it is pulled with incredible force.

This frightening experience has raised awareness for many more safety and procedural practices in hospitals and clinics. Medical professionals and staff are now (and have always been) encouraged to ensure that all metal objects are removed before anyone enters an MRI room. Safety guidelines apply to the patients, visitors, and the staff.

MRI machines can be very safe when handled appropriately. Accidents can happen very quickly and demonstrate that safety rules are not followed; this incident serves reminder and reverberates the importance of following procedure to ensure all accidents are prevented.

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Authorities are now working to understand what exactly occurred, so it never happens again to anyone.

More than one lesson (in this case) but one definite lesson: don’t take any metal near an MRI machine: don’t either take metal, nearing an MRI machine can be dangerous, it can be fatal.

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