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Florida Surgeon Indicted on Second-Degree Manslaughter in Fatal Wrong-Organ Surgery

Prosecutors say a grand jury returned the manslaughter charge following a months-long probe into a 2024 operating-room death.

Overview

  • Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky was taken into custody Monday in Miramar Beach and booked into the Walton County Jail ahead of a court appearance Tuesday.
  • Prosecutors say the grand jury charged him with second-degree manslaughter in the August 2024 death of a 70-year-old man from Muscle Shoals, Alabama.
  • Investigators allege he removed the patient’s liver during a planned laparoscopic spleen removal, causing fatal blood loss on the operating table.
  • The grand jury action followed an extensive investigation by the Walton County Sheriff’s Office working with the State Attorney’s Office and medical authorities.
  • Regulators revoked his Alabama medical license and suspended his Florida license in 2024, and board filings also described two earlier surgical errors that allegedly harmed patients.