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Incident location, Long Island
What Happened
The victim’s widow, 61, filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against Nassau Open MRI in Nassau County Supreme Court following the death of her husband in a freak MRI accident at the Westbury facility on July 16, according to Newsday. The husband was killed when he was violently yanked into an MRI machine while wearing a massive 20-pound metal chain around his neck, which was pulled by the machine’s powerful magnetic force.
The tragic incident occurred while the widow was at Nassau Open MRI in Westbury to have an image of her knee taken. The lawsuit alleges that the radiology office was negligent for not telling her husband to remove his heavy metal necklace before entering the MRI suite. The complaint states that the widow “witnessed and was totally aware through all of her senses of the injuries and suffering and eventual death of her husband,” Newsday reported.
According to the lawsuit, the widow and a technician struggled for almost an hour to free the husband from the MRI machine after he was sucked into it by the magnetic force. When the husband was finally freed from the machine, he was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, having suffered multiple heart attacks as a result of the incident. He later died from his injuries sustained during the accident.
The widow previously blamed the MRI technician for failing to instruct her husband to remove his chain, telling News 12 Long Island through tears in July that “That was not the first time that guy has seen that chain” on her husband. “They had a conversation about it before,” she said, suggesting the technician was familiar with her husband’s jewelry and should have known to require its removal.
The lawsuit was filed by attorneys at Jacoby & Meyers and the Crump Law Office, according to Newsday. The complaint names multiple defendants beyond Nassau Open MRI, including East Coast Radiology, PC, which contracted with the Westbury facility to use its MRI machine, Sun Enterprises LLC, which leased the facility, and GM Partners Westbury LLC, which owned the property. The amount the widow is seeking in damages has not been disclosed.
The complaint alleges that the grief-stricken widow has experienced “severe and serious personal, psychological and emotional injuries” as a result of her husband’s death, resulting in “permanent effects of pain, disability, disfigurement and loss of body function.” The lawsuit details how the traumatic experience of witnessing her husband’s accident and death has caused lasting psychological damage to the widow.
Location & Road Context
The fatal accident occurred at Nassau Open MRI, located in Westbury, Nassau County. Westbury is a hamlet in the Town of Hempstead on Long Island, situated in a busy commercial corridor that serves residents throughout Nassau County. The facility operates in a medical complex that houses multiple healthcare providers serving the Long Island community.
The Westbury location draws patients from across Nassau County and surrounding areas who require MRI imaging services. The facility’s central location makes it accessible to residents from various Long Island communities seeking medical imaging services.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
The lawsuit filed in Nassau County Supreme Court represents the formal legal action stemming from the July 16 incident. The widow’s legal team from Jacoby & Meyers and the Crump Law Office has named multiple defendants in the case, creating a complex litigation involving the MRI facility operator, the radiology practice, the property lessee, and the property owner.
The case centers on allegations of negligence in failing to follow standard MRI safety protocols. The legal proceedings will likely examine whether proper screening procedures were followed and whether staff adequately communicated safety requirements to patients and their companions.