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Boy Killed In Unusual MRI Accident At Westchester Medical Center

Nine years ago, a small boy was killed in a freak accident during an MRI medical procedure at Westchester Medical Center in New York. Today, his parents are still battling for justice through a $20 million medical malpractice lawsuit regarding their son’s untimely death.

According to court records, the deadly medical error occurred on July 26, 2001, when six-year-old Michael Colombini was at WMC to receive a follow-up MRI after he underwent brain surgery to remove a tumor. When medical professionals determined that the young boy needed more oxygen, they brought more into the room but neglected to remove the oxygen canister before the procedure began. Because of the magnetism of the MRI, the canister flew toward the patient and the machine, striking the boy on the head and killing him.

Following the hospital error, the boy’s parents brought a New York medical malpractice lawsuit against Westchester County Health Care Corporation, Jian Hou M.D., University Imaging Medical Corporation (UIMC) and Medical Associates, P.C., Valhalla Anesthesia Associates, P.C., New York Medical College, Mary Nadler, R.N., Patricia Lauria, Paul Daniels, General Electric Company (GE), and Terence Matalon, M.D.

WMC was fined $22,000 for the medical mistake by the New York Department of Health, who said that the hospital violated 11 different safety regulations during the procedure. The fine was the maximum amount possible. The violations included the failure to keep magnetic equipment out of an MRI room, failure to keep a patient in a safe environment, and failure to ensure adequate oxygen to a patient.

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