A family’s lakeside holiday turned to tragedy when a shard of badminton racket splintered and pierced a little girl’s skull while she played with her 10-year-old brother. Lucy Morgan, six, died on Wednesday, four days after the freak accident at the end of what was otherwise an idyllic vacation at a rented cottage in Limerick, Maine. Her family gathered around her bedside when it became clear her hopes of survival were minimal and sang her favourite hymn before she was declared brain dead in the early hours.
Maine State Police said it was ‘a sad, tragic situation’, adding: ‘Our hearts break for the family.’ The horror unfolded on Saturday as the family prepared to head back home to Stockholm, New Jersey, after a fun-filled week. Lucy’s dad Jesse Morgan, a pastor, chronicled her fight for life over the following days on his church blog, writing: ‘This morning was beautiful just like every other morning had been this week.
‘We had an amazing lake cottage in Maine and were simply enjoying life together on our last full day here. ‘We were eating a quick lunch by the lake and the kids decided to try badminton in the front yard. Bethany and I were relaxing in the back when we heard screaming.
‘Due to a freak accident with a racquet that broke on a downward swing, a sharp piece had entered Lucy’s skull while she was sitting on the sideline and caused catastrophic injury.’ The aluminium shaft broke away from the wooden racquet handle and struck the youngster.
