Florida surgeon faces indictment after two patients died as family describes heartbreak

A Florida surgeon has been indicted after prosecutors allege a second patient died following surgery; the son of an earlier patient spoke about his family's grief and has filed a civil suit.

A Florida surgeon, Thomas Shaknovsky, is facing criminal charges after prosecutors say a patient died following surgery. The son of an earlier patient, Dorothy Dorsett, described his family's grief after her death in August 2023 and has filed a civil lawsuit. State investigators later reviewed Dorsett's case and reported concerns about diagnostic testing and delays in ordering imaging. Medical licenses tied to the surgeon were suspended or surrendered after the later incident. Key facts: - Dorothy Dorsett died on August 4, 2023 after surgery performed by Thomas Shaknovsky, and her son filed a civil complaint alleging negligence; that lawsuit remains ongoing. - Prosecutors allege that in a separate case a patient, William Bryan, died after a surgical error, and a grand jury indicted Shaknovsky on a charge of second-degree manslaughter in that death. - The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration completed an investigation in September 2024 and reported that physicians in Dorsett's case failed to appropriately use diagnostic testing and delayed ordering imaging to treat sepsis. - Following the later patient's death, the surgeon's Florida medical license was suspended, he surrendered an Alabama license, and New York suspended his license in 2025; a hospital spokesperson said he was not an employee and had not practiced at their facility since August 2024. Summary: The indictments and agency findings have led to both criminal proceedings and civil lawsuits related to two patient deaths connected to the same surgeon. Undetermined at this time.