Lucy Morgan “pulled the metal neck out of her head, then collapsed, unresponsive,” the family’s complaint alleges of the incident
Credit: Morgan Family
NEED TO KNOW
- The family of Lucy Morgan is suing Franklin Sports, alleging a defective badminton racket caused the 6-year-old’s fatal injury during a family vacation in Maine in June 2024
- A metal portion of her brother’s racket that broke apart struck Lucy in the head and pierced her skull, according to authorities
- Lucy died several days after the incident, and now her family is seeking compensatory and punitive damages
The family of a girl killed following a “freak accident” involving a badminton racket is suing the company that made the racket.
A wrongful-death and product-liability lawsuit was filed against Franklin Sports in York County Superior Court in Maine on Aug. 17, stemming from the June 1, 2024, death of 6-year-old Lucy Morgan.
The complaint, which was obtained by PEOPLE, states Lucy was sitting nearby while her siblings played badminton at a rental cottage in Limerick, Maine, when the head and metal stem of a Franklin racket separated from the handle and struck her in the temple, penetrating her skull and brain.
“Lucy stood up, screaming. Hearing their daughter’s screams, Mr. and Mrs. Morgan came running from behind the house. Lucy pulled the metal neck out of her head, then collapsed, unresponsive,” the complaint alleges.
She was airlifted to Maine Medical Center and died on June 5.
The complaint alleges that the racket’s handle and metal stem were not adequately secured, that the adhesive connecting them was defective or insufficient and that the racket lacked a secondary restraint that could have prevented the metal portion from becoming a projectile.
It also alleges Franklin failed to warn consumers about the risk of separation during normal use.
The complaint claims that the “unreasonably dangerous condition of the badminton racket was the direct and proximate cause of Lucy’s death and pain and suffering.”
The complaint further claims that Lucy’s three siblings, who witnessed the incident, suffered “severe emotional distress.”
Credit: Getty
While the complaint does not state a specific dollar amount, the family is seeking both compensatory and punitive damages, including for funeral expenses and emotional distress.
Franklin Sports did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Lucy was on vacation with her parents and three siblings at the time of the incident, according to a press release from the Maine State Police (MSP).
Her 10-year-old brother was holding the racket that had separated into two pieces, with the metal portion piercing Lucy’s skull, per MSP.
Credit: Getty
Jesse Morgan, Lucy’s father, who is a pastor from New Jersey, previously described the incident as a “freak accident” in a in a blog post written days after the incident.
He wrote that the family had been enjoying a “beautiful” morning on their last day of vacation when disaster struck.
“We were eating a quick lunch by the lake and the kids decided to try badminton in the front yard,” he wrote, adding that he and his wife, Bethany, were relaxing in the back when they heard “screaming.”
According to Jesse, Lucy was airlifted to Maine Medical Center in Portland, and she “went right to the operating room where they removed part of her skull to relieve pressure and deal with her injury.”
“She coded, they got her back, and they completed the surgery,” he wrote in the blog.
Then, Lucy succumbed to her injuries several days later.
“Lucy, your absence is felt and our lives will never be the same. Even when we’re numb, we can feel your void. You were so big in our lives, that the holes in our hearts are beyond repair,” Jesse wrote in his blog shortly after Lucy’s death.
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“This case represents a parent’s worst nightmare,” the family’s attorney, Travis Brennan, said in a press release regarding the lawsuit.
“We are committed to obtaining justice for Lucy by holding Franklin Sports accountable. We want to ensure these rackets are manufactured in a way where this type of tragedy never occurs again,” Brennan added.
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