Woman, 21, dies after hospital overdoses her on painkillers

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 12 Oct, 02:00 · Archive

Dale Alice Martin, 21, died after Waterbury Hospital in Connecticut administered excessive painkillers for a broken ankle.

Dale Alice Martin, a 21-year-old English and history student at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, went to Waterbury Hospital in Connecticut on 10 April 2025 to be treated for a broken ankle she had sustained doing farm work. Within 14 hours of admission, she had died.

According to a lawsuit filed by the family's lawyer Christopher Mattei, hospital staff had administered so much pain medication that Dale stopped breathing. An autopsy determined she died from cardiac arrest. The lawsuit states that no one checked on her during this critical period, and the same medications interfering with her breathing were also sedating her, meaning she could not call for help. A nurse finally checked on her at 7 a.m., but her heart had already stopped beating.

Dale's father, Lindsay Martin, a Westchester County resident, says the family did not know at the time that Waterbury Hospital was bankrupt and under investigation, with severely constrained funding. He noted that his daughter had no choice where to go, as she was taken to the nearest hospital. The hospital was owned by Prospect Medical Holdings, a California-based firm that filed for bankruptcy three months before Dale's death.

How it is being reported

• Young woman with her whole life ahead tragically dies in hospital after she went to treat simple broken ankle as parents sue doctorsDale Alice Martin had only broken her ankle but died 14 hours after seeking treatment in Waterbury Hospital in Connecticut.Daily Mail · 12 Oct, 01:49
• 21-year-old NYC native goes to the hospital for a simple broken ankle — and dies for shocking reason: lawsuit“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.''New York Post · 11 Oct, 20:24

In this story: Dale Alice Martin · Lindsay Martin · Waterbury Hospital · Christopher Mattei · Prospect Medical Holdings · Connecticut · Manhattan · Trinity University

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem