Inset: Conor Hylton (Westhaven Funeral Home). Background: Bridgeport Hospital Milford Campus in Connecticut where Conor Hylton died after being placed in a "fake ICU" and cared for by a remote doctor, his family says in a lawsuit (Google Maps).
A 26-year-old dental student in Connecticut died in an intensive care unit that was overseen by a remote "tele-health" doctor who pronounced him dead on a video screen after failing to "effectively communicate" his medical needs, a lawsuit says.
Conor Hylton's parents are suing Yale New Haven Health, which owns and operates the Bridgeport Hospital Milford Campus where their son died in 2024, and Northeast Medical Group — which is also part of Yale New Haven Health — for negligence that they say ultimately led to his death.
The family's legal complaint, which was obtained by Law&Crime, says the ICU and its operators "violated hospital policy because no on-site doctor assessed Mr. Hylton from the time he was admitted to the ICU until after he exhibited seizure-like activity."
The complaint alleges that Hylton was brought into the emergency department on Aug. 14, 2024, and was "subsequently admitted" to the hospital with diagnoses that included pancreatitis, dehydration, metabolic acidosis, and alcohol withdrawal.
"Mr. Hylton's condition deteriorated and he was transferred to the ICU where his condition continued to change and deteriorate over the evening and early morning hours of Aug. 15, 2024, including mental status changes, restlessness, and agitation despite Precedex administration," the complaint explains.
While in the ICU, the hospital allegedly utilized the service of a "tele-ICU," with the complaint noting that there were no "ICU intensivists" present at the time.
"Instead, the hospitalist, in this case … never saw the patient," the complaint alleges. "It also appears from the sparse ICU records that the ICU RN was only contacting the tele-ICU service for sedation orders as Mr. Hylton's condition deteriorated in the ICU, and despite orders, there are no CIWA assessments, no intake/output monitoring, and no MD assessments for pain and/or change in mental status despite the RN's non-contemporaneous note indicating mental status change in a patient diagnosed with alcohol withdrawal and a history of alcohol withdrawal seizures for which he had previously been given Keppra."
Hylton, who was admitted around 11 a.m., became unresponsive early the next morning around 4:30 a.m., the complaint says.
"Mr. Hylton slid down in bed, his eyes rolled back and he … exhibited seizure-like activity, vomited, became bradycardic and code was called," the complaint alleges. "He was intubated, but he could not be resuscitated, and he was pronounced dead."
According to Hylton's parents, "the pronouncement was done by a 'tele-health' provider on a video screen." The family wasn't even notified about what was going on or Hylton's deteriorating health status, their complaint adds.
"[The defendants] allowed for extremely poor communication among the providers responsible for Conor's life which is especially dangerous to patient care when the hospital is relying on off-site tele-ICU providers to care for its patients," the complaint concludes.
His parents' attorney, Joel Faxon, told CT Insider that Hylton was treated at what he considers to be a "fake ICU," per the local media outlet.
"It's not real because no patient would ever consent if they told … they're not going to have a doctor in here," Faxon said. "They're going to be on the tube."
Faxon calls what happened to Hylton "a tragedy that definitely could have been avoided," according to CT Insider. "The family is absolutely devastated," Faxon said. "He was a good kid. He was a very good student. He was at UConn Dental School and parents are both dentists."
The family's lawsuit comes after a July 2025 investigation from the Connecticut Department of Public Health found that the "hospital failed to ensure quality medical care was provided" to Hylton, according to the complaint.
The agency determined that hospital staff "failed to ensure nursing assessments were conducted in accordance with the physician's order" and "failed to effectively communicate the patient's needs as documented," per the complaint.
A Bridgeport Hospital spokesperson told the local Hartford Courant newspaper, "Yale New Haven Health is aware of this lawsuit and is committed to providing the safest and highest quality of care possible, however, we are unable to comment on pending litigation."
Asked whether Yale New Haven uses the services of tele-health professionals in its hospitals and ICUs, the spokesperson reportedly said the model "enhances critically ill patients by pairing advanced virtual monitoring with expert bedside teams."
"A dedicated virtual team collaborates closely with on‑site nurses, physicians and ICU intensivists to provide continuous monitoring, timely decisions and coordinated, high‑quality care throughout the ICU stay," the spokesperson told the Courant.