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‘I was pushed by the bed,’ Nurse gets trapped in an MRI machine in California
After hearing the nurse's screams, hospital staff rushed to her help.
A freak accident caused due to an MRI machine has resulted in injuries to a nurse named Ainah Cervantes in California. The incident took place in Redwood City operated California-based Kaiser Permanente.
According to a report by Fox News, the accident happened when the machine's magnetic force suddenly pulled a hospital bed towards it. In the horrific event, the nurse got trapped between the front of the MRI machine and the bed. After hearing the nurse's screams, hospital staff rushed to her help. Cervantes' clothes were mangled and she had to undergo surgery to remove two screws that got embedded in her body.
After the accident, investigation was carried out by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) and Cervantes recalled what had happened.
"I was getting pushed by the bed. Basically, I was running backwards. If I didn’t run, the bed would smash me underneath," said Cervantes while recalling the horrible incident.
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Investigation into the accident
Investigators found that contrary to guidelines, some employees in the hospital, hadn't received required safety training. Also contrary to recommendations, the hospital didn't test the door alarm annually.
"The many safety failures … created a culture of unsafe practices," said the California Department of Public Health’s investigation.
Sheila Gilson, senior vice president for Kaiser Permanente San Mateo, highlighted the importance of investigating the causes of the accident.
"This was a rare occurrence, but we are not satisfied until we understand why an accident occurs and implement changes to prevent it from occurring again," said Gilson.
"As an organization committed to continuous learning improvement, Kaiser Permanente fully investigated the incident and used what we learned to make specific operation changes to enhance safety," added Gilson in a statement.
