Product recalls are a common occurrence, with everything from toys to medicine being pulled off shelves due to potential safety risks. However, for the Morgan family in Maine, a seemingly innocuous badminton racquet left at their rental property turned out to be deadly.

During an idyllic lakeside vacation in June 2024, six-year-old Lucy Morgan was playing with her ten-year-old brother when the aluminum shaft of the racket detached from its wooden handle. The metal portion struck her head and pierced her skull, leading to her death four days later.

The Morgan family has filed a lawsuit against Franklin Sports, alleging that the product was defective and unreasonably dangerous. The complaint states that the handle and metal stem were not adequately secured, the adhesive connecting them was flawed, and the racket lacked a secondary restraint mechanism designed to prevent separation during normal use.

Additionally, the lawsuit claims that Franklin Sports failed to warn consumers about the risk of the metal stem detaching from the racket during regular play.

“This case represents a parent’s worst nightmare,” said attorney Charles P. Hehmeyer. “We were enjoying an idyllic summer vacation in Maine when Lucy died 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 so this type of tragedy never occurs again.”

Hehmeyer noted that this is not the first incident involving Franklin Sports rackets, citing a prior case in New York where a child lost an eye when the racket separated.