Following the tragic death of a six-year-old girl in a freak badminton accident, her father has revealed her 10-year-old brother's heartbreaking reaction.
As previously reported, Lucy Morgan passed away on Wednesday, four days after the tragic incident, which occurred during what was meant to be a peaceful getaway.
"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," recounted Jesse Morgan, Lucy's father and a pastor at Green Pond Bible Chapel in Rockaway, New Jersey, in his Calamity Strikes blog post.
"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," he added.
Maine State Police confirmed that the injury was an unintentional result of Lucy's 10-year-old brother's swing. The aluminum shaft of the racket detached from its wooden handle and struck Lucy in the head.
Though she was breathing, Lucy was unresponsive when emergency services arrived. She was rushed to a local hospital and then airlifted to Maine Medical Center in Portland.
Surgeons operated immediately, removing part of her skull to relieve pressure. Despite their efforts, Lucy flatlined during the procedure.
Doctors managed to revive her, but Lucy had lost all brain function and the ability to breathe independently.
Lucy’s siblings - Silas, 10, Shiloh, eight, and Atticus, four - are struggling to cope with the loss, with Silas particularly burdened by guilt.
According to Jesse Morgan’s blog, the 10-year-old heartbreakingly asked: "How we could ever be happy again?"
“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,” he wrote.
In a heartfelt blog post, Jesse Morgan revealed the overwhelming grief that enveloped his family upon returning from the hospital.
"When we got home we arrived to flowers lining our steps and a fridge stocked with food. But entering was the hardest thing," he wrote.
The deeply religious Morgan family found some comfort in their faith. Jesse shared that Lucy had asked her mother how to be "saved" just weeks before her death.
A GoFundMe has been set up to support the Morgan family during this difficult time and has since raised $124,000 out of a $130,000 target.
The page revealed that Lucy's funeral will be Saturday, June 15, at 11:00AM ET.
Our thoughts remain with Lucy's family at this time.
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