Alabama Man Dies After Surgeon Allegedly Mistakenly Removes Liver Instead of Spleen Family Claims

According to his relatives, an Alabama man died after a physician accidentally removed the wrong organ.

“I know I am not the only wife to have lost her husband suddenly, but the loss of my Bill was exceptionally unnecessary and brutal,” the man’s wife, Beverly Bryan, tells Inside Edition.

William Bryan was sent to surgery to have his spleen removed.

The surgeon allegedly accidentally removed his liver. The 70-year-old died from a bleed out within minutes.

Following the operation, the surgeon did not notice his mistake. According to the devastated family, the doctor told them he had never seen a spleen that huge, but he was referring to the liver.

“Anybody that takes an anatomy course in high school should know the difference between a liver and a spleen,” Joe Zarzaur, the Bryan family’s attorney, tells Inside Edition.

“Everyone understands that you cannot live without your liver. “It’s almost as if they took out his heart,” Beverly adds.

In a statement, Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital in Walton, Florida, states, “We take claims like this extremely seriously, and our leadership team is conducting a full inquiry into this situation. Patient safety is and will continue to be our top priority. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family.”

A Johns Hopkins study discovered that medical errors are the third largest cause of death in the United States, trailing only heart disease and cancer.