The family of Dorothy Dorsett, a 70-year-old woman who died following surgery at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast, is demanding justice after suspected surgical negligence. Her son Weyman Dorsett recounted how he noticed signs of complications soon after her procedure to remove a tumor, which worsened before her death. A lawsuit filed by Dorsett accuses surgeon Thomas Shaknovsky of negligence, highlighting the lack of proper post-operative tests and delayed diagnosis of bowel perforation.

In a related tragedy, William Bryan, another patient operated on by Shaknovsky, died after he mistakenly removed Bryan’s liver instead of his spleen during a laparoscopic splenectomy. Shaknovsky’s medical license has been suspended, and he faces charges of second-degree manslaughter. Investigations revealed failures by hospital physicians to use appropriate diagnostics, contributing to the patients' deaths. Dorsett’s family is mourning and calling for accountability, expressing ongoing pain and grief over their loss.