A six-year-old girl has tragically died in a freak badminton accident.
People have been left heartbroken after hearing of the untimely death of six-year-old Lucy Morgan, from New Jersey, USA.
“That is so tragic and I hope the family can recover from this terrible accident,” one commenter pens.
“This made me physically sick. God bless them all,” a second adds.
“What a horrific thing to happen. Praying for this family,” offers another.
Lucy Morgan was on a family vacation in Maine on June 1 when the incident occurred. Her father later described the tragedy as a ‘freak accident,’ according to a news release from Maine State Police via People.
Lucy was playing outside with her siblings, including her 10-year-old brother, when the ‘unintentional’ and ultimately fatal injury occurred, police said.
Her father, Jesse Morgan, explained on his blog, New Creation Living, that his family of six – himself, his wife Bethany, and their children: Silas, Shiloh, Lucy, and Atticus – were enjoying a ‘beautiful’ morning at their lake cottage on the last day of their vacation when the incident happened.
“We were eating a quick lunch by the lake and the kids decided to try badminton in the front yard,” he wrote.
“Bethany and I were relaxing in the back when we heard screaming.”
Lucy died after being struck in the skull by a broken piece of her brother’s badminton racket.
Authorities determined that the aluminium shaft of a badminton racket had become dislodged from its wooden handle, causing it to strike Lucy in the head and pierce her skull.
First responders arrived on the scene in Limerick, Maine, around noon and transported Lucy to a medical centre in Sanford, and then to another in Portland.
According to Jesse, Lucy went immediately to the operating room where part of her skull was removed to relieve pressure from the injury.
“She coded, they got her back, and they completed the surgery,” he wrote on June 2.
“In the PICU, we are being told that there is a very slim chance she will recover. She is currently intubated, has no brain function, but occasionally breathes on her own. We are praying for a miracle but our hearts hurt with incomprehensible pain.”
At the time of the post, Jesse asked for prayers for Lucy’s recovery. “We are hanging on,” he wrote, “but can’t imagine life without Lucy-goose.”
In a June 4 update, Jesse shared that there was a high likelihood Lucy would pass away within 24 hours.
“If there is any good news in this, it’s that she hasn’t felt any pain over the past few days,” he added.
He also shared updates on the rest of the Morgan family.
“My poor wife is barely eating (we got some Chick-Fil-A in her),” he wrote. “We’re sleeping as best we can and our children are processing as best they can.”
The following day, Lucy succumbed to her injuries, according to both police and her father.
Green Pond Bible Chapel, where Jesse is a worship and discipleship pastor, will hold a funeral service for Lucy on June 15.
It will also be live-streamed on the church’s website.
A GoFundMe page for the family has raised over $120,000.
It reads: “Tragedies like this take a toll on all aspects of life – emotional, physical, mental, and financial.
“This page serves as a place to provide them extravagant financial support – to help pay for meals while they are away from home, lodging for family, medical costs … whatever they need.”
Jesse documented her battle from the moment she was airlifted to Maine Medical Center in Portland.
Tragically, Lucy slipped away surrounded by her family, who gathered at her bedside to sing her favourite hymn.
Jesse revealed that he, his wife Bethany, and their three other children were so overcome by grief they could not enter their own home.
“When we got home, we arrived to flowers lining our steps and a fridge stocked with food. But entering was the hardest thing,” Jesse wrote on his blog.
“We just sat on the front steps for a while crying until I finally mustered up the courage to open the door. We again collapsed in a pile on the kitchen floor crying harder as a family than we ever have.”
The deeply religious family found comfort in their faith.
Jesse shared that Lucy had asked her mom how to be ‘saved’ just weeks before her death.
“Despite my conviction that she is still young and possibly can’t understand and that she had the faith of a mustard seed, Bethany still couldn’t shake the fear and doubt,” he explained. “
It was then when we opened her backpack and found her prayer journal that Bethany had given her a month ago to the day of her passing.”
The pages contained affirmations of Lucy’s faith, pictures, and a heartbreaking final drawing that her sister Shiloh believes shows Mary and Martha weeping over the body of Lazarus.
In the Bible story, Lazarus of Bethany is resurrected by Jesus four days after his death.
“This last picture takes the cake. The significance of it being the very last thing she drew in the journal cannot be understated,” Jesse said. “It’s hard to put into words how deeply I feel about it.”
Jesse further described his wife’s anguish on the day Lucy passed. “On June 4, the morning of the day Lucy was predicted to pass, it was very hard to distinguish the groans and cries I heard from Bethany at 3 a.m. that morning from the ones I heard on the morning of September 4, 2017, when Bethany birthed Lucy,” he wrote.
“The pain of a mother in this situation is so incredibly unique, heavy, and frankly awe-inspiring to witness.”
