Family of 6-Year-Old Lucy Morgan Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit Over Fatal Badminton Accident
The family of 6-year-old Lucy Morgan, the New Jersey girl who died after a badminton racket broke during a family vacation in Maine, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the company that manufactured the racket.
Lucy was playing badminton with her 10-year-old brother in June 2024 when the racket’s aluminum shaft separated from its wooden handle and struck her in the head. She was hospitalized in critical condition and died four days later.
Now, more than two years after the accident, her family is suing Massachusetts-based Franklin Sports, alleging that a defect in the racket contributed to the tragedy.
Lawsuit Alleges Racket Was Defective
The badminton racket was part of a set available at the family’s rental cottage in Limerick, Maine. According to the lawsuit, there was inadequate adhesive securing the metal shaft to the handle, allowing the shaft to separate and become a projectile.
The complaint also alleges that Franklin Sports failed to adequately warn consumers about potential dangers associated with the product.
Charles P. Hehmeyer, an attorney representing the Morgan family, described Lucy’s death as “a parent’s worst nightmare” and said the lawsuit is intended both to seek justice for Lucy and prevent a similar tragedy from happening again.
Attorney Points to an Alleged Earlier Incident
Hehmeyer also claimed that another child in New York had previously lost an eye in an incident involving a Franklin badminton racket.
According to the attorney, the company could have addressed the issue by adding a pin to secure the handle, a modification he said would cost only pennies.
Franklin Sports did not immediately respond to a request for comment cited in the original report.
The lawsuit seeks damages covering funeral costs, financial losses, emotional distress, loss of companionship and other damages available under the law.
A Family Vacation Changed in Seconds
Lucy was vacationing with her family in Maine when the accident occurred.
The six members of the Morgan family had been eating lunch and spending their final full day at the rental property when Lucy’s father, Jesse Morgan, heard a scream coming from the front yard.
Jesse, a pastor at Green Pond Bible Chapel in Rockaway, New Jersey, later described what happened in a blog post titled “Calamity Strikes.”
He wrote that the racket broke during a downward swing while Lucy was sitting on the sidelines, causing a sharp piece to strike her and leave her catastrophically injured.
Emergency responders found Lucy breathing but unresponsive. She was initially taken to a local hospital before being airlifted to Maine Medical Center in Portland, according to Maine State Police.
Lucy Died Four Days Later
Doctors were able to revive Lucy, but the injuries were devastating. She had lost brain function and could no longer breathe independently.
Lucy died four days after the accident.
Her family had previously remembered her as a bubbly child and the family’s “main cuddler.”
The new lawsuit now shifts attention toward how the badminton racket was manufactured and whether, as the Morgan family alleges, a different design or stronger connection between its components could have prevented the fatal accident.
The allegations against Franklin Sports have not yet been proven in court, and the company had not publicly responded to the report at the time of publication.