The family of a man who died in a freak MRI-related accident in New York last week appears poised to file a lawsuit over the incident. 

Keith McAllister, aged 61, tragically passed away after suffering three heart attacks when he was inadvertently drawn into the magnetic pull of an MRI machine at Nassau Open MRI in Westbury last week. At the time of the incident, he was wearing a chain weighing 20 pounds.

Now, his family has hired an attorney to “ensure accountability” stemming from the incident, according to the New York Post. 

Keith McAllister died after being pulled into an MRI machine while wearing a 20-pound metal chain.  (GoFundMe)

According to his daughter, Samantha Bodden, the MRI technician reportedly exited the room to locate McAllister and requested his help but failed to caution him about the risks of being near the machine with metallic objects.

Initially, it was reported that McAllister had entered the room on his own without authorization. However, Bodden clarified that he was actually invited inside.

“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,” Bodden wrote. 

Danger sign on wall outside an MRI scanner exam room (iStock)

Bodden said she and Jones-McAllister attempted to free McAllister from the machine before finally calling the police for help. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Smith, Cheung and Lauterborn, PC and to Nassau Open MRI for comment.