Business & Finance
Family of New Jersey girl files wrongful death lawsuit against Franklin Sports over fatal badminton racket incident
The lawsuit alleges a defective product design caused a metal shaft to detach and fatally pierce a six-year-old girl's skull during a 2024 Maine vacation.
The short version
- The family of six-year-old Lucy Morgan filed a wrongful death and product-liability lawsuit against Massachusetts-based Franklin Sports following her June 2024 death.
- The lawsuit alleges that the metal shaft of a badminton racket detached from its wooden handle during use and pierced the girl's skull in Limerick, Maine.
- The complaint contends the racket lacked sufficient adhesive, safety warnings, and a secondary restraint to prevent the shaft from flying free.
- The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages from Franklin Sports under Maine law.
Key facts
- Six-year-old Lucy Morgan of New Jersey died on June 5, 2024, four days after being struck by a detached metal badminton racket shaft in Limerick, Maine.[Fox News]
- Maine State Police reported that the aluminum shaft dislodged from the wooden handle while the girl's 10-year-old brother was playing outside.[Fox News]
- The Morgan family filed a wrongful death and product-liability lawsuit in Maine against equipment manufacturer Franklin Sports.[Fox News]
- The lawsuit alleges the racket was unreasonably dangerous due to inadequate adhesive, a lack of secondary safety restraints, and missing consumer warnings.[Fox News]
- Family attorney Charles P. Hehmeyer alleged that Franklin Sports was previously aware of an incident in New York where a child lost an eye from a detached racket but failed to implement design fixes.[Fox News]
What remains uncertain
- Franklin Sports has not publicly responded to the allegations in the complaint or to requests for comment.[Fox News]