A 70-year-old Alabama man died late last month after a surgeon at a Florida hospital mistakenly removed his liver instead of his spleen, an attorney for his widow said.

Muscle Shoals resident William Bryan and his wife, Beverly Bryan, were at their rental property in Okaloosa County, Florida, when William Bryan began experiencing pain in his left side.

The couple went to Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast, where doctors warned William Bryan that he would suffer serious complications if he did not immediately have surgery, said Joe Zarzour, a Florida attorney representing Beverly Bryan.

On Aug. 21, William Bryant underwent a laparoscopic splenectomy when Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky mistakenly removed his liver, resulting in the cutting of a major artery that caused sudden blood loss and William Bryant’s death, Zarzour said.

The error was not immediately noticed; Shaknovsky labeled the removed liver specimen as ‘spleen,’ the attorney claimed.

A surgical pathologist at the hospital who reviewed the specimen identified the “spleen” as Shaknovsky’s liver, according to a copy of the pathologist’s report obtained by Zarzour’s office and sent to AL.com.

Ascension Sacred Heart Gold Coast did not directly address Zarzour’s claims in a statement to AL.com.

“We take allegations like this very seriously, and our leadership team is performing a thorough investigation into this event. Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast has a longstanding history of providing safe, quality care since the hospital opened its doors in 2003,” the statement read. “Patient safety is and remains our number one priority. Our thoughts and prayers remain with the family. We hold the privacy of our patients in the highest regard. We do not comment on specific patient cases or active litigation.”

Beverly Bryan said she retained Zarzour in hopes of preventing future fatal surgical errors at the Florida hospital.

“My husband died while helpless on the operating room table by Dr. Shaknovsky,” she said in a statement. “I don’t want anyone else to die due to his incompetence at a hospital that should have known or knew he had previously made drastic, life-altering surgical mistakes.”