The widow of a man who died during surgery allegedly owing to the removal of his liver instead of his spleen has filed a wrongful death lawsuit claiming the doctor’s actions led to her husband’s death and accused the Florida hospital of cover up.

Beverly Bryan, and her 70-year-old husband William Bryan of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, were visiting family in Okaloosa County, Florida, when William experienced pain in his side and was admitted to Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast hospital in August 2024, for what was determined to be an abnormal spleen.

Medical staff told the couple that an immediate laparoscopic splenectomy was required to prevent serious spleen-related complications. William initially refused, claiming he wanted to be seen by a doctor back home in Alabama, but then agreed to the surgery.

Beverly Bryan and husband William Bryan

During surgery, Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky cut into William’s liver – and kept dissecting the organ as the patient was bled out, according to an emergency order issued by Florida’s surgeon general.

Shaknovsky told state investigators he couldn’t identify the organ he removed due to “shock and chaos.” His medical license was suspended. Bryan, a retired nurse, also alleges the hospital allowed Shaknovsky to operate despite a record of serious mistakes, including another botched procedure in 2023 that resulted in a $400,000 settlement. She hopes her case will expose how difficult it is for patients to access doctors’ malpractice history, “It really needs to be more transparent when doctors have a bad history.” The hospital declined to comment on the suit.