A surgeon in Florida mistakenly removed a man’s liver instead of his spleen, causing the man to die on the operating table, an attorney for the man’s widow claims.

William Bryan, 70, of Muscle Shoals, Ala., underwent surgery for spleen abnormalities on Aug. 21 at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital in Miramar, Florida, according to a statement from Pensacola, Florida-based personal injury law firm Zarzaur Law.

The Walton County Sheriff’s Office, in coordination with other agencies, said in a statement to NBC News on Wednesday that it is investigating Bryan’s death.

William Bryan and his wife Beverly Bryan were in the Sunshine State visiting their rental property when he began to feel “pain in his left flank.” Beverly That’s what Bryan’s lawyers said.

He was admitted to the hospital for further evaluation, and although the Bryans were reluctant to undergo surgery in Florida, they were convinced by Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky, a general surgeon, and Dr. Christopher Bacani, the hospital’s chief medical officer, that he could face serious complications if he left the hospital’s care.

According to the documents, both Shaknovsky and Bacani appeared to be involved in discussions about how to proceed with Bryan’s medical treatment, Beverly Bryan’s attorney Joe Zarzaur said in the statement.

Shaknovsky performed a hand-assisted laparoscopic splenectomy on William Bryan, Zarzaur said, which had fatal consequences.

“Dr. Shaknovsky removed Mr. Bryan’s liver, severing the major vascular system that supplies the liver, causing immediate and catastrophic blood loss that resulted in death,” the statement said. “The surgeon labeled the liver sample taken as a ‘spleen,’ and it was not until after death that it was discovered that the organ removed was actually Mr. Bryan’s liver and not the spleen.”

Shaknovsky told Beverly Bryan that her husband’s spleen was so diseased that it was four times its normal size and had shifted to the other side of his body, Zarzaur claims. But in a normal human body, the liver is on the opposite side of the abdomen and is much larger than the spleen, he said.

Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital said in a statement Wednesday that it is conducting “a thorough investigation” into Bryan’s death and takes allegations like those made by his family “very seriously.”

“Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast has a long history of providing safe, high-quality care since the hospital opened in 2003,” the statement said. “Patient safety is and will always be our top priority. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family. Our patient privacy is our highest priority. We do not comment on specific patient cases or ongoing litigation.”

According to the Cleveland Clinic, the average human spleen is about the size of an avocado and the average human liver is about the size of a soccer ball.

“The family was informed that Mr. Bryan’s spleen, the cause of his original symptom profile upon admission to hospital, was still in his body and had a small cyst on its surface,” the statement said.

Shaknovsky made a similar mistake in 2023 when he removed parts of the pancreas instead of an adrenal gland in a case that was settled privately, Zarzaur said.

The employment status of Shaknovsky and Bacani was not immediately clear Wednesday afternoon. They could not be reached for comment.

The Walton County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that authorities are investigating the circumstances of Bryan’s death.

“The Walton County Sheriff’s Office, in conjunction with the Precinct 1 Coroner’s Office and the District Attorney’s Office, is reviewing the facts surrounding the death of William Bryan to determine if any criminal conduct occurred.”

According to Zarzaur, Beverly Bryan does not want Shaknovsky to perform any more surgeries.

“My husband died while lying helpless on the operating table at the hands of Dr. Shaknovsky. I do not want anyone else to die in a hospital because of his incompetence, when they should have known or knew that he had previously made drastic, life-altering surgical errors,” her attorney’s statement said.

She is pushing for criminal and civil action, Zarzaur said.

“Our goal at Zarzaur Law is to obtain justice for the Bryan family and make our community safer one case at a time,” he said. “While most doctors do an excellent job of keeping us healthy, there is a small percentage who should not be practicing.”

According to a search of the Florida Board of Medicine conducted Wednesday afternoon, Shaknovsky’s medical license is valid, and records show Bacani’s is as well.