Topline: Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky faces criminal charges following allegations he mistook a patient’s liver as an enlarged spleen.
Published: May 10, 2026 6:00 am ET
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Left: Dr. Thomas J. Shaknovsky Right: William Bryan and his wife Beverly Bryan (via Walton County Sheriff's Office/Zarzaur Law)
MIRAMAR BEACH, FL — A Florida surgeon charged with second-degree manslaughter in the death of a patient testified that he could not distinguish between liver and spleen in a surgery where he allegedly removed the wrong organ.
Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky, 44, faces criminal charges following the August 2024 death of 70-year-old William Bryan. Investigators say Shaknovsky removed Bryan’s liver instead of his spleen during a procedure at an Okaloosa County hospital.
In a November 2025 deposition obtained by NBC News, Shaknovsky called the death an unfortunate event that he regrets deeply. The surgeon said Bryan began bleeding heavily during the operation, which caused the patient’s heart to stop.
Shaknovsky compared the operating environment to a clogged, overflowing sink. He said he was searching for the source of the bleed for 20 minutes before the wrong-site event occurred.
He testified that he could not tell the difference between the organs because he was upset. He told attorneys he went to the hospital library to cry after the surgical team failed to resuscitate the patient.
Bryan and his wife, Beverly Bryan, were visiting Florida from their home in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, when he sought care for abdominal pain on Aug. 18, 2024. Beverly Bryan filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against the doctor following the incident.
The lawsuit alleges Shaknovsky instructed a nurse to label the removed liver as a spleen. It also claims the surgeon identified the organ as a spleen in his postoperative records.
Shaknovsky testified he was mentally compromised while writing those notes. He said he felt he had failed the patient and was crying over the death.
The surgeon told attorneys he believed Bryan’s spleen was double its normal size due to a mass. Medical experts note that the human spleen is much smaller than the liver, typically weighing less than 15% of its size.
The lawsuit filed by Beverly Bryan says a medical examiner found the patient’s spleen was actually nearly normal. The legal filing accuses the doctor of omitting the liver removal from records to hide negligence.
The Walton County Sheriff’s Office announced last month that a grand jury returned an indictment against Shaknovsky. The sheriff’s office said the grand jury found probable cause that the actions in the operating room were criminal under Florida law.
Shaknovsky was arrested in Miramar Beach and moved to the Walton County Jail. He said in his testimony that he thinks about the event every day and will live with it for the rest of his life.
State records and previous reports show the surgery took place while Bryan was seeking emergency treatment for his abdominal symptoms. Attorneys for the family provided operative documents as part of the ongoing civil litigation.
The Florida Department of Health previously issued an emergency order to suspend Shaknovsky’s license. That order claimed the doctor had a history of surgical errors prior to the 2024 incident involving Bryan.
Beverly Bryan continues to seek damages for medical malpractice and negligence. The criminal case remains pending in the Florida court system as Shaknovsky awaits further hearings on the manslaughter charge.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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Florida Surgeon Says He ‘Couldn’t Tell Organs Apart’ in Patient’s Death
Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky faces criminal charges following allegations he mistook a patient’s liver as an enlarged spleen.
By Kate Byrd
Published: May 10, 2026 6:00 am ET
Left: Dr. Thomas J. Shaknovsky Right: William Bryan and his wife Beverly Bryan (via Walton County Sheriff's Office/Zarzaur Law)
MIRAMAR BEACH, FL — A Florida surgeon charged with second-degree manslaughter in the death of a patient testified that he could not distinguish between liver and spleen in a surgery where he allegedly removed the wrong organ.
Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky, 44, faces criminal charges following the August 2024 death of 70-year-old William Bryan. Investigators say Shaknovsky removed Bryan’s liver instead of his spleen during a procedure at an Okaloosa County hospital.
In a November 2025 deposition obtained by NBC News, Shaknovsky called the death an unfortunate event that he regrets deeply. The surgeon said Bryan began bleeding heavily during the operation, which caused the patient’s heart to stop.
Shaknovsky compared the operating environment to a clogged, overflowing sink. He said he was searching for the source of the bleed for 20 minutes before the wrong-site event occurred.
He testified that he could not tell the difference between the organs because he was upset. He told attorneys he went to the hospital library to cry after the surgical team failed to resuscitate the patient.
Bryan and his wife, Beverly Bryan, were visiting Florida from their home in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, when he sought care for abdominal pain on Aug. 18, 2024. Beverly Bryan filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against the doctor following the incident.
The lawsuit alleges Shaknovsky instructed a nurse to label the removed liver as a spleen. It also claims the surgeon identified the organ as a spleen in his postoperative records.
Shaknovsky testified he was mentally compromised while writing those notes. He said he felt he had failed the patient and was crying over the death.
The surgeon told attorneys he believed Bryan’s spleen was double its normal size due to a mass. Medical experts note that the human spleen is much smaller than the liver, typically weighing less than 15% of its size.
The lawsuit filed by Beverly Bryan says a medical examiner found the patient’s spleen was actually nearly normal. The legal filing accuses the doctor of omitting the liver removal from records to hide negligence.
The Walton County Sheriff’s Office announced last month that a grand jury returned an indictment against Shaknovsky. The sheriff’s office said the grand jury found probable cause that the actions in the operating room were criminal under Florida law.
Shaknovsky was arrested in Miramar Beach and moved to the Walton County Jail. He said in his testimony that he thinks about the event every day and will live with it for the rest of his life.
State records and previous reports show the surgery took place while Bryan was seeking emergency treatment for his abdominal symptoms. Attorneys for the family provided operative documents as part of the ongoing civil litigation.
The Florida Department of Health previously issued an emergency order to suspend Shaknovsky’s license. That order claimed the doctor had a history of surgical errors prior to the 2024 incident involving Bryan.
Beverly Bryan continues to seek damages for medical malpractice and negligence. The criminal case remains pending in the Florida court system as Shaknovsky awaits further hearings on the manslaughter charge.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
Must Read
Editor Picks
Latest Articles
Florida Surgeon Says He ‘Couldn’t Tell Organs Apart’ in Patient’s Death
Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky faces criminal charges following allegations he mistook a patient’s liver as an enlarged spleen.
By Kate Byrd
Published: May 10, 2026 6:00 am ET
Left: Dr. Thomas J. Shaknovsky Right: William Bryan and his wife Beverly Bryan (via Walton County Sheriff's Office/Zarzaur Law)
MIRAMAR BEACH, FL — A Florida surgeon charged with second-degree manslaughter in the death of a patient testified that he could not distinguish between liver and spleen in a surgery where he allegedly removed the wrong organ.
Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky, 44, faces criminal charges following the August 2024 death of 70-year-old William Bryan. Investigators say Shaknovsky removed Bryan’s liver instead of his spleen during a procedure at an Okaloosa County hospital.
In a November 2025 deposition obtained by NBC News, Shaknovsky called the death an unfortunate event that he regrets deeply. The surgeon said Bryan began bleeding heavily during the operation, which caused the patient’s heart to stop.
Shaknovsky compared the operating environment to a clogged, overflowing sink. He said he was searching for the source of the bleed for 20 minutes before the wrong-site event occurred.
He testified that he could not tell the difference between the organs because he was upset. He told attorneys he went to the hospital library to cry after the surgical team failed to resuscitate the patient.
Bryan and his wife, Beverly Bryan, were visiting Florida from their home in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, when he sought care for abdominal pain on Aug. 18, 2024. Beverly Bryan filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against the doctor following the incident.
The lawsuit alleges Shaknovsky instructed a nurse to label the removed liver as a spleen. It also claims the surgeon identified the organ as a spleen in his postoperative records.
Shaknovsky testified he was mentally compromised while writing those notes. He said he felt he had failed the patient and was crying over the death.
The surgeon told attorneys he believed Bryan’s spleen was double its normal size due to a mass. Medical experts note that the human spleen is much smaller than the liver, typically weighing less than 15% of its size.
The lawsuit filed by Beverly Bryan says a medical examiner found the patient’s spleen was actually nearly normal. The legal filing accuses the doctor of omitting the liver removal from records to hide negligence.
The Walton County Sheriff’s Office announced last month that a grand jury returned an indictment against Shaknovsky. The sheriff’s office said the grand jury found probable cause that the actions in the operating room were criminal under Florida law.
Shaknovsky was arrested in Miramar Beach and moved to the Walton County Jail. He said in his testimony that he thinks about the event every day and will live with it for the rest of his life.
State records and previous reports show the surgery took place while Bryan was seeking emergency treatment for his abdominal symptoms. Attorneys for the family provided operative documents as part of the ongoing civil litigation.
The Florida Department of Health previously issued an emergency order to suspend Shaknovsky’s license. That order claimed the doctor had a history of surgical errors prior to the 2024 incident involving Bryan.
Beverly Bryan continues to seek damages for medical malpractice and negligence. The criminal case remains pending in the Florida court system as Shaknovsky awaits further hearings on the manslaughter charge.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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