Family of girl, 6, killed in Limerick badminton racket accident files wrongful death lawsuit
Lucy Morgan was 6 years old when she died from injuries sustained in an accident involving a badminton racket while vacationing in Maine with her family. (Photo courtesy of the Morgan family)
A family from New Jersey has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Maine against a sports equipment manufacturer over the death of their 6-year-old daughter, who was hit in the head by a shattered piece of a badminton racket.
Berman & Simmons filed the complaint on behalf of the family of Lucy Morgan on Monday in York County Superior Court, according to a news release from the Lewiston-based law firm.
Lucy and her family, from Stockholm, New Jersey, were vacationing at a lake house in Limerick on June 1, 2024, when a badminton racket used by her older brother broke, according to the release. The racket’s metal shaft detached from its wooden handle, striking Lucy in the temple and piercing her skull.
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Lucy was taken to Southern Maine Health Care in Sanford, then airlifted to Maine Medical Center in Portland. She died four days later.
The lawsuit alleges that the racket, made and sold by Franklin Sports, was “defective and unreasonably dangerous” because of inadequate manufacturing, according to the release. It also claims that Franklin Sports failed to provide proper warnings about the dangers the racket could pose.
The lawsuit seeks damages, including funeral expenses, emotional distress and more on behalf of the Morgan family, including Lucy’s three siblings, who witnessed the accident, and her parents, who rushed to her aid moments after.
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“This case represents a parent’s worst nightmare,” lawyers Travis Brennan and Charles Hehmeyer said in the release. “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.”
Hehmeyer said the company knew the risks associated with the rackets after a previous incident permanently injured a child in New York but chose not to correct the design to save money.
In 2012, Franklin Sports reached a settlement with a family in New York following the permanent injury of a boy after a similar badminton racket broke and struck the boy in the forehead.
Franklin Sports did not respond Tuesday to emails and a voicemail requesting comment on the lawsuit.
“For the Morgan family, there’s a hole in their family that will never be replaced,” Brennan said. “And each of them will forever remember that day.”
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Tagged: lawsuits, york county
Abigail is a community reporter for Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, Sanford, and Wells. She recently moved up to Maine from Connecticut after getting her bachelor’s degree in English/Journalism at the University. More by Abigail Driscoll
