The family of a 6-year-old girl who died in a badminton accident in Maine two years ago is suing the manufacturer of the racket.
Lucy Morgan died June 5, 2024, four days after a badminton racket fell apart, sending a metal stem flying through the air and piercing the girl’s temple, according to a lawsuit filed Monday in York County Superior Court.
Her family is suing Franklin Sports Inc., the manufacturer of the racket, alleging the company was negligent in the production of the racket and did not warn customers the racket could separate during “ordinary use,” as well as alleging wrongful death.
Franklin Sports did not immediately respond to request for comment.
The lawsuit is seeking unspecified damages for funeral expenses, emotional distress and more.
Lucy’s family was visiting from New Jersey and on its final day of vacation in Limerick. Her older siblings were playing badminton in the front yard while Lucy and another sibling watched, the lawsuit said.
The racket’s head and metal stem separated from the handle and flew through the air, hitting Lucy in the temple and entering her skull. Her three siblings watched it happen and her parents heard her screams and immediately came to her aid, the lawsuit said.
“This case represents a parent’s worst nightmare,” the family’s attorney Charles Hehmeyer 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. We want to ensure these rackets are manufactured in a way where this type of tragedy never occurs again.”
A racket had previously taken out a child’s eye in New York, Hehmeyer said. Franklin Sports did not do anything to correct the issue at that time, but a pin in the handle would have stopped the issue and only cost pennies, he said.