Family Sues Connecticut Hospital After 21-Year-Old Woman Dies Following Ankle Injury Treatment

Waterbury, Connecticut — A 21-year-old college student who went to a hospital for treatment of a fractured ankle died hours later after allegedly receiving excessive pain medication, according to a lawsuit filed by her family.

Dale Alice Martin, a Manhattan native who was living in Bethlehem, Connecticut, was taken to Waterbury Hospital on April 10, 2025, after breaking her ankle while doing farm work. Her family alleges that medical providers administered a combination of medications that interfered with her breathing and failed to monitor her condition in time to save her life.

The lawsuit has raised questions about the care Martin received during her hospital stay and the condition of the facility at the time. The allegations have not been established as proven facts in court.

What Happened to Dale Alice Martin at Waterbury Hospital?

According to the lawsuit, Martin arrived at Waterbury Hospital for treatment of her ankle injury. Her family alleges that within approximately 14 hours of admission, she had received so much pain medication that she stopped breathing.

The complaint, filed by attorney Christopher Mattei, alleges that staff failed to check on Martin while the medications were affecting her breathing and level of alertness.

“Within 14 hours of admission, providers at the hospital had administered so much pain medication that Dale stopped breathing and later died,” the lawsuit said, according to the account published by the Hartford Courant.

The filing further alleges that the medications made Martin too sedated to recognize the danger and call for assistance. At approximately 7 a.m. on April 10, a nurse finally checked on her, according to the complaint. By then, her heart had stopped beating.

An autopsy determined that Martin died from cardiac arrest after receiving multiple painkillers, according to the lawsuit.

Father Recalls the Devastating Phone Call

Martin’s death left her family searching for answers about what happened during what should have been a hospital visit for a broken ankle. Her father, Lindsay Martin, a Westchester County resident, recalled receiving the call informing him that his daughter had died.

“I hung up the phone, and I was in shock,” he said, according to the report.

The family also questioned whether problems at the hospital could have affected the care Martin received.

“We didn’t know till after Dale’s death that she was admitted to a bankrupt hospital that was under investigation, where nurses allegedly were buying food for patients, where the level of funding was so constrained that the hospital may not have been able to function properly,” Lindsay Martin told the outlet.

He also explained that his daughter did not choose the facility herself.

“She was brought to the nearest hospital,” he said.

Martin attended middle and high school in Pelham, New York, and later studied English and history at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.

Lawsuit Raises Questions About Hospital Conditions

The family’s legal action also focuses on the financial difficulties facing Waterbury Hospital at the time of Martin’s death.

The facility was previously owned by Prospect Medical Holdings, a California-based healthcare company that filed for bankruptcy in January 2025.

The lawsuit’s allegations come amid broader questions about how the hospital’s financial difficulties may have affected staffing, training and patient care.

Mattei said the family expects the legal process to uncover more information about the hospital’s operations.

“What we expect to find is that this was a hospital that was largely operating on fumes as a result of Prospect dismantling infrastructure within the hospital, reducing staff, training, and finding every way possible to extract value out of the hospital in a way that jeopardized care,” Mattei said.

These statements represent the family’s allegations and its attorney’s position. The lawsuit’s claims will need to be evaluated through the legal process.

Hospital Ownership Changed After Bankruptcy

Waterbury Hospital was among the facilities affected by Prospect Medical Holdings’ financial collapse. Earlier in 2026, Hartford HealthCare acquired the struggling hospital and two other facilities, according to the supplied report.

The ownership change followed the financial difficulties that had placed Prospect’s healthcare operations under significant pressure.

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However, the acquisition does not, by itself, establish whether the hospital’s financial condition caused or contributed to Martin’s death. That question, along with the allegations concerning medication administration and monitoring, remains part of the issues raised by the lawsuit.

Family Seeks Answers About Her Final Hours

For Martin’s family, the central questions concern how a young woman admitted with a broken ankle could experience a fatal medical emergency during her hospital stay.

The lawsuit alleges that excessive medication and a failure to monitor her condition contributed to her death. The family’s account also raises concerns about whether the hospital had sufficient resources and staffing to provide appropriate care.

The case may bring additional details about Martin’s treatment and the hospital’s practices to light as legal proceedings move forward.

For now, the allegations remain claims made by her family, and further findings will be needed to establish responsibility.

Do you think hospitals should face greater accountability when families allege failures in patient monitoring? Share your thoughts in the comments.