Girl, 6, died in freak badminton racket accident that was avoidable, claims lawsuit

By JAMES GORDON, US NEWS REPORTER and Published: 03:50, 20 August 2026 | Updated: 03:50, 20 August 2026 A six-year-old girl's horrific death after a badminton racket snapped and pierced her skull could have been prevented with a safety measure costing just pennies, her grieving family claims in a wrongful death lawsuit. Lucy Morgan, from New Jersey, was enjoying an idyllic family vacation in Maine when an afternoon game of badminton turned into an unimaginable tragedy in June 2024. The little girl was sitting on the sidelines as her 10-year-old brother played in the yard of their lakeside rental cottage in Limerick when the aluminum shaft of his racket suddenly separated from its wooden handle during a downward swing. The metal shaft flew through the air, struck Lucy in the head and pierced her skull, penetrating deep into her brain. Four days later, the little girl died. Now, more than two years after the freak accident, Lucy's family is suing Massachusetts-based Franklin Sports, alleging the badminton racket was dangerously defective and that the company could have taken a simple step to prevent the shaft from becoming a deadly projectile. The wrongful death complaint, filed on Monday in York County, Maine, alleges the racket's handle and metal stem were not adequately secured. It alleges the adhesive connecting the two was defective and that there was no secondary restraint to keep the shaft attached if the connection failed. It also claims Franklin Sports failed to adequately warn consumers that the metal stem could separate during ordinary use. Lucy Morgan, 6, died four days after the aluminum shaft of a badminton racket broke free from its handle and pierced her skull during a family vacation in Maine in June 2024 Lucy’s father Jesse Morgan and her siblings gathered at her hospital bedside after doctors warned the family that the six-year-old had suffered catastrophic brain injuries 'This case represents a parent's worst nightmare,' the family's attorney, Charles P Hehmeyer of Berman & Simmons, said. 'The Morgan family was enjoying an idyllic summer vacation here in Maine when they lost Lucy due to what we allege was a dangerous and defective piece of sports equipment. 'We are committed to obtaining justice for Lucy by holding Franklin Sports accountable.' Lucy had traveled to Maine with her parents, Jesse and Bethany Morgan, and siblings Silas, Shiloh and Atticus. The family was staying at a cottage on North Shore Drive in Limerick, where the badminton set had been provided with the rental, according to the complaint. They were enjoying their final full day of vacation when the children decided to play outside while their parents relaxed nearby. According to Maine State Police, Lucy suffered an 'unintentional injury from her 10-year-old brother.' Investigators determined that the aluminum shaft had dislodged from its wooden handle and struck Lucy in the head. Lucy was playing badminton with her 10-year-old brother when the racket's aluminum shaft became dislodged from its wooden handle and struck her in the head Lucy was vacationing with her parents, Jesse and Bethany Morgan, and her three siblings in Limerick, Maine, when the freak badminton accident occurred Lucy was still breathing but unresponsive when emergency crews rushed her to a local hospital before she was airlifted to Maine Medical Center in Portland. She was taken directly into surgery, where doctors removed part of her skull to relieve pressure caused by the catastrophic injury. During the operation, Lucy flatlined. Doctors managed to revive her, but her father later said the racket shaft had penetrated deeply into her brain and caused immediate arterial bleeding. Lucy had lost brain function and could no longer breathe on her own. Doctors warned the family that their daughter had only 'a very slim chance' of recovery. Lucy ultimately died at around 4am on June 5, leaving her family to return to New Jersey without her. Her father later described repeatedly looking into the rearview mirror during the roughly 350-mile journey home and wishing he could see Lucy sitting there eating chicken nuggets after the family stopped at Wendy's – where, for the first time, they had ordered food for only five. The tragedy was particularly devastating for Lucy's siblings. Jesse wrote that Silas, then 10, Shiloh, then eight, and Atticus, then four, were struggling to comprehend what had happened and were 'blaming themselves and taking it hard.' Silas, whose racket had accidentally caused his sister's fatal injury, asked his parents 'how we could ever be happy again,' according to a blog post by his father. When the family finally reached their New Jersey home, Jesse said they struggled even to walk through the front door. 'We just sat on the front steps for a while crying until I finally mustered up the courage to open the door,' he wrote. 'We again collapsed in a pile on the kitchen floor crying harder as a family than we ever have.' The Daily Mail contacted Franklin Sports for comment.