A tragic incident occurred when a 5-year-old girl fell 50 feet into the ocean from a Disney cruise ship, with Florida authorities citing her small size as the reason she didn’t activate the ship’s man-overboard sensors.
According to a new report by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, the alarms on the Disney Dream were only triggered moments later when the girl’s father bravely jumped after her. This dramatic event unfolded as the ship was on its way back to Florida from the Bahamas on June 29, as reported by People.
The incident took place while the young girl was with her family on the ship’s fourth deck. It’s reported that her mother asked her to pose for a photo on a railing near an open porthole, according to Detective Christopher Favitta.
Unfortunately, the child lost her balance and fell into the ocean at 11:29 a.m. Her small stature was insufficient to activate the man-overboard sensors, the detective detailed in his report.
The father responded quickly, diving into the water 45 seconds later, which finally set off the alarm at 11:30 a.m. The alert was subsequently communicated to the ship’s systems one minute after the father’s jump.
Rescue operations commenced at 11:40 a.m., and within nine minutes, both the father and daughter were safely retrieved from the water. They received medical attention on the ship shortly before noon, as documented in the report.
Rescue crews launched at 11:40 a.m. and pulled both family members from the water nine minutes later. They were taken to the ship’s medical center for treatment just before noon, the report states.
Both the girl and her father were then transported ashore to Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, where the father was treated for an unspecified ailment.
The girl miraculously suffered no injuries.
Both parents were cleared of any criminal charges, according to court documents seen by The Post.
The father was initially praised for his heroism, until unsubstantiated rumors claimed that he was responsible for his daughter’s fall, forcing authorities to put out a statement absolving him of any blame.
Criminal charges were initially recommended against the mother, but the Broward County State Attorney’s Office ultimately opted not to prosecute and closed the case.
Disney Cruise Line did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
