New Jersey family sues after daughter, six, killed in badminton accident
A New Jersey family have launched a lawsuit after a catastrophic badminton incident led to a fatal brain injury on their six-year-old daughter.
Lucy Morgan tragically passed away from her injuries during a family holiday to Maine in June 2024 as she sat and watched her brother playing badminton.
The racket suddenly broke during a downward swing and the aluminium shaft came loose, hitting Lucy in the head and piercing her skull.
After a loud scream, her family found her breathing but unresponsive and rushed her to hospital, where doctors were initially able to revive her, but it was quickly established that she had lost all of her brain function.
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Four days later, as she struggled to breathe independently, she sadly passed away, with her father Jesse sharing a heartbreaking blog post about the accident and his own faith in the wake of such a horrific experience.
The pastor wrote: "Due to a freak accident with a racquet that broke on a downward swing, a sharp piece had entered Lucy’s skull while she was sitting on the sideline and caused catastrophic injury. She was still breathing but unresponsive as I held her with Bethany crying out to God.
"I just taught on processing grief in the last Adult Bible Class I taught before sabbatical. Am I willing to submit to my own advice? Right now holding her hand I’m not sure, but I want to."
Two years on from her death, the family have now filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Franklin Sports, the Massachusetts-based company that designed and produced the racket.
The racket came in a set which was provided by the cottage where the family were staying, with the lawsuit claiming that it 'was defective and did not have adequate adhesive connecting the metal stem to prevent the piece from becoming a projectile'.
It is accusing Franklin Sports of failing to warn prospective customers about the dangers of the equipment.
The family’s attorney, Charles P. Hehmeyer of Berman & Simmons in Maine, called the accident a 'parent's worst nightmare', while sharing another example of a child in New York who lost an eye in a similar accident with a Franklin accident.
“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,” he told WCVB.
After the previous incident, it was hoped that Franklin Sports would make changes to their badminton racket designs, with Hehmeyer suggesting that the business 'chose not to correct this with something as simple as a pin in the handle, which would cost pennies'.
The lawsuit seeks damages including funeral expenses, pecuniary loss, emotional distress, loss of comfort, society and companionship, and other available damages.
LADbible has contacted Franklin Sports for comment.
James Moorhouse