A Florida grand jury has indicted surgeon Thomas Shaknovsky on charges of second-degree manslaughter following the 2024 operating table death of an Alabama man. The indictment, returned Monday, April 13, follows a multi-agency investigation into allegations that Shaknovsky mistakenly removed the patient’s liver instead of his spleen.
The charges stem from an August 21, 2024, procedure at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital. The victim, 70-year-old William Bryan of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, had sought treatment for severe abdominal pain while visiting Florida.
According to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, Shaknovsky was scheduled to perform a routine laparoscopic splenectomy. However, investigators allege the surgeon extracted Bryan’s liver instead. The error caused “catastrophic blood loss,” leading to Bryan’s immediate death on the operating table.
The indictment follows a comprehensive probe by the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, the Office of the State Attorney First Judicial Circuit, and state medical authorities.
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“Our duty is to follow the facts wherever they lead, without fear or favor,” said Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson in a statement. “The Grand Jury found probable cause to charge that the actions taken in the operating room constituted criminal conduct under Florida law.”
Shaknovsky was taken into custody in Miramar Beach on Monday and remains held at the Walton County Jail.
In the wake of the incident, Bryan’s widow, Beverly Bryan, filed legal claims citing gross negligence. Documentation shared by the family’s legal counsel, Zarzaur Law, highlighted the discrepancy between the intended surgery and the fatal outcome.
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Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital previously stated they were conducting a thorough internal investigation, emphasizing that patient safety is their “number one priority.” The facility, which has operated since 2003, declined to comment specifically on the active litigation or the criminal indictment.
The case marks a rare instance of criminal charges being brought against a medical professional for a surgical error. Shaknovsky now faces significant prison time if convicted of second-degree manslaughter. Legal experts suggest the trial will focus heavily on the “criminal conduct” threshold versus standard medical malpractice.
