Florida Doctor Indicted for Manslaughter
A grand jury in Florida has charged a doctor with manslaughter, following an incident in which he allegedly removed the wrong organ during surgery, leading to a patient’s death. The indictment of Dr. Thomas Schachnofsky occurred on April 13, and it pertains to the death of a 70-year-old man from Alabama in August 2024, as confirmed by the Walton County Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation involved multiple agencies, including the Walton County Sheriff’s Office and the First Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office. The identity of the patient has not been disclosed. Reports indicate that the patient was scheduled for a laparoscopic splenectomy, but Schachnofsky mistakenly removed the liver instead of the spleen. This error resulted in significant blood loss, and the patient died during the operation. A grand jury concluded that there was enough evidence to suggest that Schachnofsky’s actions constituted criminal behavior under Florida law, leading to the indictment.
Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson commented on the grand jury’s decision, emphasizing the importance of following facts without bias. He expressed condolences to the victim’s family over their profound loss and affirmed the commitment of law enforcement to see the case through with professionalism.
The victim has been identified as William Bryan. While vacationing in Destin, Florida, Bryan experienced pain and was taken to Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast, where Schachnofsky was the attending doctor. His wife, Beverly, recounted attempting to have her husband discharged, but was told by Schachnofsky that moving him could result in fatal blood loss.
In response to the incident, Beverly filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Schachnofsky and the hospital in January 2025. Records show that Schachnofsky’s medical license was suspended in Florida and revoked in Alabama in 2024, with an additional suspension occurring in New York in 2025.
This is not Schachnofsky’s first allegation of malpractice. Prior claims include the improper removal of a part of a patient’s pancreas instead of an adrenal gland during a surgery in May 2023, and the removal of a portion of another patient’s intestine during a surgery in July 2023, which led to severe complications and ultimately the patient’s death.
As of Monday, Schachnofsky was booked into the county jail and is set to appear in court on Tuesday. Efforts to reach him for comments were unsuccessful.
