The family of a six-year-old girl who died following a freak badminton accident is suing the company that manufactured the racket involved.
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Lucy Morgan, of New Jersey, was playing badminton with her 10-year-old brother during a family trip to Maine in June 2024.
During the game, an aluminum part of the racket suddenly separated from its wooden handle and struck Lucy in the head.
She suffered catastrophic injuries in what her family described as "a parent's worst nightmare".
Sadly, Lucy died in the hospital four days after the incident.
Family Files Lawsuit Over Fatal Badminton Incident
Lucy's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit on Monday against Franklin Sports, the Massachusetts-based company that manufactured the racket.
The rental cottage where the Morgan family was staying had provided the badminton equipment.
According to the lawsuit, the racket had a defect and lacked sufficient adhesive to securely connect the metal stem to the handle, allowing the piece to become a projectile.
The family also accuses Franklin Sports of failing to adequately warn consumers about the potential dangers of the product.
"We are committed to obtaining justice for Lucy by holding Franklin Sports accountable," the family's attorney, Charles P. Hehmeyer of Berman & Simmons in Maine said.
"We want to ensure these rackets are manufactured in a way where this type of tragedy never occurs again."
Attorney Claims Similar Racket Previously Caused Serious Injury
Hehmeyer revealed that a child in New York previously lost an eye in an incident involving a badminton racket from the same brand.
He claims the company "chose not to correct this with something as simple as a pin in the handle, which would cost pennies."
Six members of the Morgan family had traveled to Maine for the vacation.
On their final full day of the trip, the family was eating lunch when the freak accident occurred outside.
Lucy's father, Jesse Morgan, a pastor at Green Pond Bible Chapel in Rockaway, recalled hearing a scream coming from the front yard.
Lucy was still breathing but unresponsive when emergency responders arrived. They rushed her to a local hospital before a helicopter airlifted her to Maine Medical Center in Portland.
Doctors successfully revived Lucy, but she had lost all brain function and could no longer breathe independently.
She died four days after the accident from her injuries.
The lawsuit seeks damages covering funeral expenses, pecuniary loss, emotional distress, loss of comfort, society and companionship, alongside other available damages.
