Family sues racket maker after 2024 death of 6-year-old daughter in Maine

The family of a 6-year-old killed in a 2024 when a badminton racket malfunctioned filed a wrongful death lawsuit on Tuesday against the company that sold the racket.

On June 1, 2024, the older siblings of 6-year-old Lucy Morgan was playing badminton at a vacation home in Limerick, Maine when the racket broke and fatally struck Morgan, the law firm Berman & Simmons said in a press release.

Morgan’s brother reportedly swung the racket to hit the birdie when the racket shaft separated from the handle and flew through the air. The exposed metal stem struck Lucy’s temple and entered her skull, the lawyers said.

Morgan was airlifted to Maine Medical Center, where she died four days later, the release said.

The Morgan family alleges that the racket, provided by the vacation property, was “defective and unreasonably dangerous because the handle and metal stem were not adequately secured, the adhesive connecting them was defective, and the racket lacked a secondary restraint that would prevent the metal portion of the racket from becoming a projectile if the connection failed,” the lawyers said.

The lawsuit further alleges Franklin Sports, which manufactured and sold the racket, failed to warn consumers about the risk of separation during normal use, the release said.

The Morgan family seeks damages on behalf of Lucy’s estate and her siblings who witnessed the accident. The lawsuit asserts claims, including strict liability, negligence, breach of warranty, wrongful death, and survival claims, the lawyers said.

“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,” Travis M. Brennan and Charles P. Hehmeyer, the Morgan family attorneys, said in the release.

In a statement, Franklin Sports said it could not comment on specific allegations from the lawsuit because the case is still pending.

“Franklin Sports extends its deepest sympathies to Lucy Morgan’s family and all those affected by this tragic accident. … Franklin Sports takes concerns regarding its products very seriously, is committed to product quality and safety, and is carefully reviewing the circumstances surrounding this incident. Our thoughts are with the Morgan family,” the company said.