Father of 6-year-old New Jersey girl who died in bizarre badminton accident shares touching memories of his daughter

US News

From Chris Nesi

The heartbroken father of a six-year-old New Jersey girl who died in a bizarre badminton accident has shared new, touching memories of his “bubbly” and strong-willed daughter.

“She had a very vibrant personality, but was also reserved at times,” said Jesse Morgan, pastor of Green Pond Bible Chapel in Rockaway, New Jersey, about his tragically deceased daughter Lucy.

“Once you got to know her, she was very, very open and very funny. She was a tough kid and played football very hard,” he said in an interview with Fox News Digital published Sunday.

He remembered Lucy’s penchant for affection and described her as the “main cuddler” of the family of six.

“I just remember her coming to me with her hair all messy and just wanting to sit with you for a long time. Not restless, she just wanted to lay with you and snuggle up to you,” the grieving father told the outlet.

The tragedy occurred on June 1, the last day of an otherwise picturesque lakefront family vacation in Limerick, Maine.

As little Lucy was playing with her three siblings in the front yard of the family’s rental home, a badminton racket shattered and a piece of metal pierced the little girl’s skull.

According to the Maine State Police, emergency responders took her to a local hospital, which then flew the child, who was still breathing but unresponsive, by helicopter to Maine Medical Center in Portland.

When Lucy remained on the table, she was immediately taken to the operating room, where surgeons removed part of her skull to relieve the pressure.

Although doctors managed to resuscitate the child, he had lost all brain function and the ability to breathe independently.

Lucy succumbed to her injuries at around 4 a.m. on Wednesday, surviving a day longer than expected.

When Jesse returned home from this life-changing trip, he remembered looking at photos of Lucy with his wife, Bethany, and their other daughter.

“My wife just said her beauty is mind-blowing. Some of these pictures are just so beautiful and her personality is so incredible,” he said.

He described the family vacation up until the accident, which occurred in the first week of his sabbatical, as “the best week of their lives.”

Vacation photos Jesse posted on his blog show Lucy and her siblings’ beaming smiles as the family climbed trees, hiked through the forest, and enjoyed a nap in a hammock on the lakeshore.

“We did so many fun things,” he recalls.