The arrest unfolded unexpectedly, captured on video as a Florida surgeon was pulled from a Lyft he was driving. Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky, now facing a charge of second-degree manslaughter, was tracked down by Walton County deputies on April 13th while operating as a rideshare driver in Miramar Beach.
The allegations against Shaknovsky are chilling. Prosecutors claim that last August, during a surgery intended to remove a patient’s spleen, he instead removed the man’s liver. William Bryan, a 70-year-old from Alabama, succumbed to catastrophic blood loss on the operating table.
The state of Florida swiftly suspended Shaknovsky’s medical license following Bryan’s death. He also surrendered his license in Alabama as regulators moved to revoke it, signaling a growing concern over his practice.
This wasn’t an isolated incident. Records reveal another patient, Dorothy Dorsett, died after undergoing surgery performed by Shaknovsky in 2023. The 70-year-old had been admitted for abdominal pain but was described by her son as being in “great health.”
Dorothy’s son, Weyman Dorsett, recounted a strange encounter with the surgeon before the procedure. He described Shaknovsky as “odd,” noting the doctor even prayed by his mother’s bedside – a gesture Dorsett found unsettlingly excessive.
Shaknovsky discovered a tumor during a colonoscopy and removed it, but crucially, failed to perform a standard post-operative test to check for internal leaks. He assured the family the surgery had been a success, a statement tragically contradicted by events.
Within days, Dorothy’s condition rapidly declined. Her son remembers her final words with heartbreaking clarity: “It is what it is. I’ve lived a good life.” He was left to witness her death, a devastating loss compounded by the circumstances surrounding it.
The details emerging paint a disturbing picture, raising serious questions about the standard of care provided by this surgeon and the tragic consequences for those who placed their trust in him.
