A physician in Florida has been charged with manslaughter after authorities say a surgical error led to the death of a patient during an operation last year.
On April 13, a Walton County grand jury indicted Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky on a charge of second-degree manslaughter related to an August 2024 surgery involving a 70-year-old man from Alabama. The Walton County Sheriff’s Office announced the charge in a press statement, noting that the case was investigated by the sheriff’s office with assistance from the First Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office along with other state and medical authorities. Officials did not release the patient’s name.
According to investigators, the patient had been scheduled to undergo a laparoscopic splenectomy, a procedure intended to remove the spleen. Authorities allege that during the operation, Shaknovsky mistakenly removed the patient’s liver instead. The error reportedly caused massive blood loss, and the patient died during the procedure.
The grand jury determined that there was sufficient evidence to believe the surgeon’s actions could constitute criminal behavior under Florida law, leading to the manslaughter charge. Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson said the investigation was conducted by carefully examining the facts. He added that the legal process will now determine the outcome while expressing sympathy for the patient’s family.
The victim was later identified by WEAR News 3 as William Bryan. Bryan and his wife, Beverly, had been staying at their condominium in Destin, Florida, while visiting from Alabama when he began experiencing pain on his left side. He was taken to Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast hospital, where Shaknovsky became his treating physician.
Beverly Bryan said she asked the doctor if she could take her husband back home, but claimed Shaknovsky warned that moving him could result in fatal bleeding. In January 2025, she filed a wrongful death lawsuit against both the surgeon and the hospital.
Following the incident, Florida suspended Shaknovsky’s medical license in 2024. Alabama also revoked his ability to practice medicine there, and his license in New York was suspended in 2025. Public records show he graduated from Midwestern University’s Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2009.
The case is not the first time Shaknovsky has faced allegations involving surgical mistakes. Documents from the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners indicate he was previously accused of removing part of a patient’s pancreas instead of the left adrenal gland during a surgery in May 2023. In another operation in July 2023, he allegedly removed a section of a patient’s intestine, which reportedly caused a gastrointestinal perforation. That patient was later transferred to intensive care and died.
Authorities confirmed that Shaknovsky was being held in the Walton County jail as of Monday. He was expected to appear before a judge on Tuesday.
Attempts by NBC News to reach Shaknovsky for comment were unsuccessful.