Waterbury, Connecticut — A 21-year-old woman who went to a Connecticut hospital for a broken ankle died days later after suffering a severe brain injury, according to a lawsuit filed by her father. The complaint alleges that hospital staff administered excessive opioid pain medication and failed to monitor her breathing as she became dangerously sedated.
Dale Martin was taken to Waterbury Hospital on April 9, 2025, after breaking her ankle while working on a New England farm. Her family says she was on a gap year from college when the accident occurred.
The lawsuit names Waterbury Hospital and one of its doctors among the defendants, alleging failures involving medication administration, patient monitoring, staffing and supervision. The claims have not been established as facts in court.
Woman Went to Hospital After Breaking Her Ankle
According to the complaint, Martin tripped while working on a farm and sustained a complex ankle fracture. After examining her, hospital staff determined that she would undergo surgery the following morning.
Martin was reportedly experiencing severe pain while waiting for the procedure. Court documents cited in the complaint say she repeatedly cried and rated her pain at 10 out of 10. The lawsuit also states that morphine provided relief for only a few minutes.
Despite the pain, Martin appeared well enough to smile during a FaceTime call with her family, according to the complaint.
Her relatives had no indication from that conversation, the lawsuit suggests, of the medical emergency they allege would develop overnight.
Lawsuit Alleges Opioid Medication Suppressed Her Breathing
As the night progressed, medical providers administered opioid pain medications, including medication delivered intravenously, according to the lawsuit.
The complaint alleges that the doses were so high that they interfered with Martin’s body’s ability to breathe normally.
According to her family’s account, her breathing slowed as she became sedated, reducing the amount of oxygen reaching her body. The lawsuit further alleges that hospital staff failed to check on her adequately while her condition deteriorated.
The complaint claims Martin was unable to call for assistance as she experienced respiratory distress.
Opioids are used in medical settings to manage severe pain, but they can also suppress breathing, particularly when their effects are excessive or when patients are not appropriately monitored. The lawsuit centers on allegations that medication administration and inadequate observation contributed to Martin’s medical crisis.
Nurse Found Her Unresponsive the Next Morning
The complaint states that a nurse checked on Martin the following morning and found her unresponsive. According to the family’s allegations, she had stopped breathing and her heart had stopped.
Hospital personnel were able to resuscitate her, the lawsuit says, but the resulting brain injury was too severe for her to recover.
Martin was subsequently diagnosed with anoxic encephalopathy, a condition involving brain injury caused by a lack of oxygen. Brain cells are highly sensitive to oxygen deprivation, and even a relatively short interruption in oxygen supply can cause severe and lasting damage.
Four days after she was admitted to the hospital, Martin was declared brain-dead, according to the account provided in the lawsuit.
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Her death has become the focus of a legal dispute over the treatment she received and whether hospital staff could have prevented the outcome.
Father Accuses Hospital of Failing to Protect His Daughter
Martin’s father filed the lawsuit, alleging that the hospital and a doctor failed to provide appropriate care.
The complaint raises several concerns, including alleged inadequate supervision of medical staff, insufficient staffing and failures to assess how the medications were affecting Martin.
It also argues that the hospital should have monitored her condition closely enough to identify signs of dangerous respiratory depression and intervene before the situation became critical. The filing expresses the family’s belief that Martin’s death could have been prevented.
“If Dale had not gone to Waterbury Hospital, she would be alive today,” the complaint states, according to the lawsuit’s quoted language.
The family is seeking an unspecified amount of damages. The allegations remain subject to the legal process, and the lawsuit’s claims should not be treated as a final determination of responsibility.
Waterbury Hospital Ownership Changed After Her Death
The lawsuit also comes amid a change in the hospital’s ownership.
According to CT Insider, Prospect Medical Holdings owned Waterbury Hospital at the time of Martin’s death. UConn Health subsequently acquired the hospital from the bankrupt company in a $13 million deal that was completed in March 2026, according to the report.
In a statement to the outlet, UConn Health said, “The quality, safety, and wellbeing of our patients is our top priority.”
The organization directed additional questions about the lawsuit to Prospect Medical Holdings. The legal case concerns events that occurred before the ownership transfer. Questions about the allegations, the care Martin received and the circumstances surrounding her death remain central to the family’s pursuit of damages.
Lawsuit Seeks Accountability Over Fatal Hospital Visit
Martin’s case began with an injury that required medical treatment and a planned operation. According to her family’s lawsuit, the situation changed dramatically overnight, ending in a severe brain injury and her death.
The complaint argues that appropriate medication management and patient monitoring could have made a difference. Those allegations will need to be addressed through the legal process.
The case also highlights the importance of recognizing potentially dangerous medication effects and monitoring hospitalized patients receiving opioid pain relief.
What do you think hospitals should do to ensure patients receiving powerful pain medications are monitored safely? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
