Alabama family seeks justice in case against doctor accused of removing wrong organ
A Walton County surgeon removed an Alabama man’s liver instead of his spleen during a 2024 surgery that proved fatal. Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky now faces manslaughter charges nearly two years later.
Bill Bryan, a retired Vietnam veteran from Muscle Shoals, was vacationing with his wife, Beverly, in Destin when he developed abdominal pain in August 2024. He went to Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast in Miramar Beach, where Shaknovsky recommended a laparoscopic splenectomy to remove an enlarged spleen. Bryan initially refused and wanted to return home to Alabama, but health officials say the surgeon pressured him over several days until he agreed.
What happened next was catastrophic. Shaknovsky started the laparoscopic procedure but converted to open surgery without properly documenting his reasons, according to the Florida Department of Health. Operating room staff had raised concerns about the late-afternoon timing and a skeletal crew, noting that splenectomies were complex procedures not regularly performed at the facility. During the operation, Bryan began hemorrhaging and his vitals dropped. Shaknovsky told investigators he blindly fired a stapling device into the abdomen and removed an organ he presumed was the spleen, later admitting he could not properly identify it due to “shock and chaos.”
An autopsy told the real story. Bryan’s spleen was untouched and in its normal position. His liver was missing. The doctor had told hospital staff the patient died of a ruptured splenic artery aneurysm, but the autopsy found no evidence of one. A Walton County grand jury indicted Shaknovsky on a charge of second-degree manslaughter. He was arrested in Miramar Beach and booked into the Walton County Jail on $75,000 bond.
The Alabama Board of Medical Examiners revoked Shaknovsky’s license. His Florida license was suspended in 2024 and his New York license followed in 2025. The health department also accused him of two other instances of malpractice, including removing part of a patient’s pancreas during a May 2023 adrenal gland surgery and causing a gastrointestinal perforation during a July 2023 procedure that led to another patient’s death.
Beverly Bryan filed a civil lawsuit against Shaknovsky in 2025. At a court hearing this week, the family drove seven hours to be present as attorneys discussed pretrial issues, including a defense request for a protective order. The judge did not rule on that request after the defense presented new evidence requiring review. Shaknovsky’s attorney waived his client’s right to appear two hours before the hearing began. A tentative trial date has been set for June 30, though attorneys indicated it will likely change.
“He would want his death to prevent someone else from being hurt, which is what I think the criminal charges being brought will do,” Beverly Bryan said of her husband. “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.”
Originally reported by MyPanhandle (WMBB) and CBS News.
