US man died because doctor removed wrong organ in procedure, family says
SUMMARY
The family of 70-year-old William Bryan from Alabama claims that a tragic surgical error led to his death last month when a doctor mistakenly removed his liver instead of his spleen. The incident occurred at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast hospital in Florida, where Bryan was undergoing a procedure for an abnormality in his spleen. According to the family's attorney, Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky, who performed the surgery on August 21, 2024, removed Bryan's liver instead of his spleen, leading to catastrophic blood loss and immediate death. The attorney further alleges that Shaknovsky labeled the liver as a spleen and only after Bryan's death was the mistake discovered. Bryan's wife, Beverly, who had initially hesitated to proceed with surgery in Florida, now seeks justice, calling for both criminal and civil actions against the doctor. The family also revealed that Shaknovsky had a prior incident of wrong-site surgery in 2023, which was settled confidentially.
