A grand jury indicted Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky on a charge of second-degree manslaughter in the August 2024 death of a patient attributed to a mistake during surgery

Dr Shaknovsky, 44, was indicted by a grand jury on a charge of second-degree manslaughter in the August 2024 death of Bill Bryan, 70, of Muscle Shoals, Alabama

Florida doctor indicted and accused of removing patient’s healthy organ, was driving for the ride sharing platform Lyft when he was arrested on manslaughter charges on April 13

On Aug. 21, 2024, scheduled to conduct a laparoscopic splenectomy, Shaknovsky accidentally removed Bryan’s liver instead of his spleen, resulting in “catastrophic blood loss”

Filing also accused Shaknovsky of several other cases of malpractice

The medical board accused Shaknovsky of removing part of a patient’s pancreas during a routine surgery in May 2023, in which the patient was supposed to have their left adrenal gland removed

Shaknovsky also removed part of a patient’s intestine during another procedure in July 2023, causing a gastrointestinal perforation, the patient was moved to the ICU and died

Alabama Board of Medical Examiners filed a court order to temporarily suspend Shaknovsky’s medical license after the surgery

The license was revoked by the Alabama Medical Licensure Commission same year

Furthermore his Florida license was also suspended in 2024, while his New York license was suspended in 2025

Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky, 44, was indicted by a grand jury on a charge of second-degree manslaughter in the August 2024 death of Bill Bryan allegedly due to medical malpractice

A Florida doctor has been indicted in connection with the death of a 70-year-old man who had the wrong organ removed during surgery.
Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky, 44, was indicted by a grand jury on a charge of second-degree manslaughter in the August 2024 death of the man of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, the Office of the State Attorney for the First Judicial Circuit said.
Shaknovsky was driving for the ride sharing platform Lyft when he was taken into custody in Miramar Beach, Florida, on Monday April13. He was transported to the Walton County Jail ahead of his court appearance the next day.

On August 21, 2024, Beverly Bryan [right], accompanied her 70-year-old husband Bill Bryan [left], to Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital in Florida, where he underwent a routine surgery. However, Bill died in the operating theater after a gross medical error

Prosecutors allege that on Aug. 21, 2024, during what was scheduled to be a laparoscopic splenectomy at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital, Shaknovsky accidentally removed the victim’s liver instead of his spleen.
The procedure resulted in “catastrophic blood loss and the patient’s death on the operating table,” a press release said.
In a phone call, the victim’s widow, Beverly Bryan, identified her husband, Bill Bryan.
“When I tell people what happened, it still sounds too awful to be true that that could happen,” she said. “I still have trouble believing it happened myself. Can you imagine?”
After the surgery, the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners filed a court order to temporarily suspend Shaknovsky’s medical license. That license was revoked by the Alabama Medical Licensure Commission that same year.
His Florida license was also suspended in 2024, and his New York license was suspended in 2025.

“May I ask what this is about?” Disgraced doctor Thomas Shaknovsky who was driving for the ride sharing platform Lyft when he was taken into custody, [photo], on manslaughter charges in Miramar Beach, Florida, on Monday April 13, seemed confused about the arrest

The court order to suspend his license states that Shaknovsky recommended surgery after the 70-year-old patient came into the hospital, Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital Emerald Coast, with complaints of abdominal pain, and imaging “revealed a suspected enlarged spleen and blood in the peritoneum with no active hemorrhage.”
For the next two days, Shaknovsky advised the patient, who wanted to return home to Alabama, to get surgery, the filing says. On the third day, Shaknovsky “continued to pressure” the patient, who then acquiesced, according to the filing.
Shaknovsky continued the operation even while the patient went into cardiac arrest during the surgery, according to the filing.
“Dr. Shaknovsky removed an organ he believed to be the spleen, but due to his shock and the chaos, he was unable to properly identify the organ,” the filing states.
After the surgery, the doctor said that the patient died of a ruptured splenic artery aneurysm, the filing states.
An autopsy found “no evidence of a ruptured splenic artery aneurysm,” according to the filing. And while the patient’s “spleen and its attachments were untouched and in the normal position, his liver was missing,” the filing alleged.
A spokesperson for Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital Emerald Coast said safety is the hospital’s “top priority.””Dr. Shaknovsky was never a Sacred Heart Emerald Coast employee and has not practiced at any of our facilities since August 2024,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “We remain focused on upholding the standards our patients and community expect of us.”

Filing also accused Shaknovsky of two other instances of malpractice, one of which the board alleges led to the death of another patient – Shaknovsky of removing part of a patient’s pancreas during a routine surgery in May 2023, in which the patient was supposed to have their left adrenal gland removed

Shaknovsky graduated from Midwestern University’s Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2009, and since has compiled a history of consequential medical faux pas.
The latest filing cites more instances where Thomas Shaknovsky faulted into malpractice, one of which the medical board alleges, led to the death of another patient.
In case from May 2023, Shaknovsky was accused in case of removing part of a patient’s pancreas during a routine surgery in which the patient was instead, supposed to have their left adrenal gland removed.
The board also accused Shaknovsky of removing part of a patient’s intestine during another procedure in July 2023, causing a gastrointestinal perforation, where a hole develops in the intestine. Shortly after the surgery, the patient was moved to the ICU and died.
In 2024, Shaknovsky settled a malpractice claim regarding the May 2023 incident for $400,000.
In 2025, Beverly Bryan filed a civil complaint against Shaknovsky, accusing the surgeon of causing her husband’s death. The outcome of the case was still pending when Shaknovsky was taken into custody earlier in the month.