Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky faces second-degree manslaughter charges for allegedly removing the wrong organ during surgery.
Category: Health
A Florida doctor has been indicted on manslaughter charges following a surgical error that led to the death of a 70-year-old patient. Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky, 44, was taken into custody in Miramar Beach, Florida, on April 13, 2026, after a grand jury charged him with second-degree manslaughter for the August 21, 2024, incident involving William Bryan, a resident of Muscle Shoals, Alabama.
The surgery, intended to be a laparoscopic splenectomy, turned tragic when Shaknovsky allegedly removed Bryan's liver instead of his spleen. This catastrophic error resulted in severe blood loss and Bryan's death on the operating table, as stated by the Office of the State Attorney for the First Judicial Circuit.
According to the Walton County Sheriff's Office, the grand jury concluded that Shaknovsky's actions constituted criminal conduct under Florida law. “Our duty is to follow the facts wherever they lead, without fear or favor,” said Sheriff Michael Adkinson in a statement, emphasizing the gravity of the situation and the responsibility to the victim's family.
Beverly Bryan, the victim's widow, expressed her disbelief over the incident, saying, “When I tell people what happened, it still sounds too awful to be true that that could happen.” After the surgery, Shaknovsky had initially claimed that her husband died from a ruptured splenic artery aneurysm. Yet, an autopsy revealed that Bryan's spleen was intact and that his liver was the organ missing.
Prior to this incident, Shaknovsky had already come under scrutiny from medical boards. His medical license in Alabama was suspended and later revoked in 2024 following the surgery. His Florida license was also suspended in the same year, and his New York license followed suit in 2025. The Alabama Board of Medical Examiners accused him of multiple malpractice incidents, including one where he removed part of a patient’s pancreas instead of the adrenal gland during a routine procedure in May 2023.
In another case from July 2023, he was accused of removing part of a patient's intestine, which resulted in a gastrointestinal perforation and the patient's subsequent death. Shaknovsky settled a malpractice claim related to the pancreas incident for $400,000 in 2024, according to public records.
The circumstances surrounding Bryan's surgery are particularly troubling. Initially, he had been admitted to Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital after experiencing severe left side pain. Imaging revealed a suspected enlarged spleen and blood in the peritoneum, but no active hemorrhage was detected. Bryan, who had initially expressed a desire to return home to Alabama, was reportedly pressured by Shaknovsky to undergo surgery.
After the procedure, Beverly Bryan was informed by Shaknovsky that her husband’s spleen was so diseased that it had migrated to the other side of his body. This explanation was later contradicted by the autopsy results, which confirmed that the spleen was in its normal position.
Shaknovsky’s actions have raised serious concerns about his competence as a surgeon. The emergency suspension order from the Florida Surgeon General indicated that Shaknovsky's continued practice posed an immediate danger to public health. “His repeated egregious surgical errors resulted in patient harm coupled with his failure to take responsibility for these errors,” the order stated.
As of now, Shaknovsky remains in custody at the Walton County Jail, awaiting his first court appearance. If convicted on the manslaughter charge, he faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
In addition to the criminal proceedings, Beverly Bryan has filed a civil complaint against Shaknovsky, accusing him of causing her husband’s death. The outcome of this case is still pending, but Beverly expressed hope that the charges against Shaknovsky would prevent future tragedies. “If we had to suffer through this and he had to die, then at least no one else will be hurt by this man now,” she remarked.
Shaknovsky graduated from Midwestern University's Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2009 and was board certified in general surgery. His practice was based in Destin, Florida, where he had been providing medical services since he was first licensed in the state in 2020. Notably, Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital has clarified that Shaknovsky was never an employee of their facility and has not practiced there since August 2024.
The case has drawn considerable attention, due to the tragic circumstances and because of the broader implications for medical malpractice and patient safety. As the legal proceedings continue, both the community and medical professionals are left to grapple with the consequences of this devastating error.
This article is based on a discussion trending on r/medicine. The claims and opinions expressed in the original post and comments do not necessarily represent verified reporting.