A 21-year-old college student died after allegedly receiving an excessive amount of pain medication while being treated for a broken ankle at a hospital in Connecticut, US, according to a lawsuit filed by her family. Dale Alice Martin, a Manhattan native who was studying English and history at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, was admitted to Waterbury Hospital on April 10, 2025, after fracturing her ankle while doing farm work. Her family has alleged that medical staff administered a combination of painkillers that left her unable to breathe and eventually led to her death, the Hartford Courant reported.
According to the lawsuit, Martin’s condition deteriorated within hours of her admission. The complaint alleges that hospital staff administered excessive amounts of pain medication over a 14-hour period, causing her breathing to stop. It further claims that she was not checked on during this time.
The lawsuit alleges that the medications not only interfered with Martin’s breathing but also left her heavily sedated, preventing her from calling for help.
“Within 14 hours of admission, providers at the hospital had administered so much pain medication that Dale stopped breathing and later died. No one checked on Dale during this time,” the lawsuit said
A nurse reportedly checked on Martin at around 7 am, by which time her heart had stopped beating, according to the complaint.
“The same medications that were interfering with Dale’s breathing were also sedating her. Dale could not even call for help as she suffocated. At 7 a.m. on April 10, a Waterbury Hospital nurse finally checked on Dale. It was far too late. Her heart had stopped beating,” the lawsuit states.
An autopsy determined that Martin died of cardiac arrest after receiving multiple painkillers, the lawsuit stated. Her family has accused the hospital of mishandling her treatment.
Martin lived in Bethlehem, Connecticut, and attended middle and high school in Pelham, New York, according to the Pelham Examiner. Her father, Lindsay Martin, said the family had little choice about where she received treatment.
Recalling the moment he learned of his daughter’s death, Lindsay Martin described being left in shock after receiving a call from the hospital.
The family filed the lawsuit through attorney Christopher Mattei, seeking to hold the hospital accountable for the alleged failures in Martin’s care.
Waterbury Hospital was previously owned by California-based Prospect Medical Holdings, which filed for bankruptcy in January 2025. Earlier this year, Hartford HealthCare acquired the financially troubled facility along with two other hospitals.
A hospital representative declined to comment on Martin’s death, saying it occurred before Hartford HealthCare took ownership of the facility.
