What happened to Keith McAllister? GoFundMe launched by family following MRI accident

A highly unfortunate accident that took place at a New York MRI facility has left a family mourning, as fresh details recently emerged about the death of 61-year-old Keith McAllister. His family have since started a GoFundMe to help cover funeral costs and officials are continuing to investigate what led up to the accident.

On July 16, 2025, Keith McAllister was killed in an accident at Nassau Open MRI in Westbury, New York when a large metal chain he was wearing around his neck became caught in a running MRI machine and was pulled into the MRI machine.

His wife, Adrienne Jones McAllister, was supposedly in the room and watched what happened, she later explained the heart breaking ordeal to News 12 Long Island. She supposedly saw "the machine snatch him” and “pull him."

61 yo Keith McAllister passed away after getting pulled into a MRI machine. His wife got an MRI on her knee, technician allowed husband to help her up & enter the room, despite him wearing a chain on his neck. The machine sadly pulled him & killed him😢 pic.twitter.com/Zp9Jrz3Jsl

— Phoenix (@THExPHOENIXXX) July 20, 2025

According to Nassau County Police Department (NCPD), officers were dispatched, following a medical emergency on July 16 relating to a patient getting an MRI. McAllister’s wife had undergone an MRI for a knee injury and requested that the technician call her husband into the room to help her.

A look into Keith McAllister’s family’s response and the GoFundMe campaign launched

Though police initially said McAllister was not supposed to be in the MRI room, his family disagrees. They’ve claimed that the technician led him into the room himself without alerting him to the dangers of his chain. His stepdaughter, Samantha Bodden, wrote on the family’s GoFundMe page:

"Several news stations are saying he wasn’t authorized to be in the room when in fact he was because the technician went and brought him into the room."

According to the Daily Voice, Keith McAllister was reportedly allowed into the MRI suite despite wearing a 20-pound chain around his neck. In a split second, the MRI machine’s powerful magnetic field drew McAllister toward it, smacking him against the scanner. His wife and the technician made efforts to release McAllister, with Jones McAllister shouting to shut off the machine and call 911.

JUST IN: Wife of man k*lled after he was pulled into MRI machine while wearing a 20-POUND CHAIN BLAMES technician



Keith McAllister, 61, was critically injured at Nassau Open MRI in Westbury after being pulled into an MRI machine by the 20-pound metal chain he was wearing



'I saw… pic.twitter.com/OGmCIkjvDA

— Unlimited L's (@unlimited_ls) July 20, 2025

The attack caused Keith McAllister to experience several heart attacks. Despite all efforts to save him, he eventually died in hospital the next day, on July 17 (People).

Following his death, McAllister’s family started a GoFundMe to raise funds to pay for his funeral. A page describes him as a dedicated husband, father, stepfather and grandfather who lived on a fixed income from Social Security.

"He was on a fixed income from social security and didn’t have much. So at this time, my mother is asking for help with expenses to help bury him. Anything will help and is very much appreciate," the page read.

The fundraiser has amassed over $1,200 of its $11,000 target as of July 19. Investigations into the incident are being processed, according to the NCPD.