Father remembers daughter who died after badminton racket accident

The father of a New Jersey girl who died in a badminton racket accident remembers his daughter’s dynamic personality.

Lucy Morgan, 6, was playing outside during a family vacation in Maine on Sunday, June 1, when she was struck in the head by her 10-year-old brother’s bat, according to a news release from Maine State Police. The 6-year-old later died at a Portland medical center.

Jesse Morgan, Lucy’s father, had previously described the incident as a “freak accident” in a blog post.

Speaking to Fox News, the father of four said his daughter has a “very vibrant” personality but can also be “reserved” at times.

“Once you got to know her, she was very, very open and very funny. She was a tough kid,” he said.

According to Lucy’s father, his family of six – himself, his wife Bethany and their children Silas, Shiloh, Lucy and Atticus – were enjoying a “beautiful” morning on the last day of their vacation at their lakeside cabin when the incident occurred.

“We were eating a quick lunch by the lake and the kids decided to try badminton in the front yard,” he wrote in the blog post. “Bethany and I were relaxing in the back when we heard screaming.”

Jesse told Fox News that his wife did not see what happened, but only realized something was wrong when their son rushed in “very worried.”

“We went out and saw what had happened. It was just an indescribable horror that went from so much silence and calm to an incredibly traumatic experience,” he added.

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According to police, the aluminum shaft of the badminton racket “came loose from the wooden handle, causing the shaft to hit the girl on the head and pierce her skull.”

In his blog post, Jesse wrote that Lucy “immediately went to the operating room where part of her skull was removed to relieve pressure and treat her injury.” However, she did not survive the injury.

“The good news is she hasn’t been in any pain these past few days,” Jesse wrote in an update on Tuesday, June 4.

Green Pond Bible Chapel, where Jesse pastors, will hold a memorial service for Lucy on June 15. It will also be streamed live on the church’s website.

A GoFundMe campaign created on behalf of the family has raised over $120,000 as of Monday, June 10.

“Please continue to pray for the Morgans as they go through the next few days, weeks, months and years without their sweet Lucy,” an update on the fundraising page reads.