The family of a Long Island man who tragically died in a freak MRI-related accident is claiming that the technician is at fault for their loved one’s death. 

The incident occurred at Nassau Open MRI in Westbury on Wednesday afternoon, where Keith McAllister, 61, was pulled into the machine by its powerful magnetic force and remained stuck for nearly an hour before being freed.

McAllister had accompanied his wife, Adrienne Jones-McAllister, who was undergoing a knee scan at the facility. 

According to their daughter, Samantha Bodden, the MRI technician left the room during the procedure to get McAllister to assist his wife, but failed to warn him about the danger of wearing metal near the machine. 

Nassau Open MRI states on its website that anything metallic should be removed prior to an MRI, including hearing aids, partial plates, dentures, jewelry and hair pins. 

On a web page detailing the benefits and risks of MRIs, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notes that “the strong, static magnetic field will attract magnetic objects (from small items such as keys and cell phones, to large, heavy items such as oxygen tanks and floor buffers) and may cause damage to the scanner or injury to the patient or medical professionals if those objects become projectiles.” 

The FDA also notes that “adverse events” related to MRI scans are “very rare.”

Kenneth J. Perry, M.D., an emergency medicine attending physician in Charleston, South Carolina, told Fox News Digital that the best way to prevent these types of accidents is to have a “robust MRI protocol” in place. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Nassau Open MRI requesting comment.

Fox News’ Melissa Rudy contributed to this report. 

Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com