A father jumped overboard from a Disney cruise ship to save his daughter who is said to have fallen from the fourth deck of the ship on Sunday, June 29.
A rumor regarding how the daughter had fallen spread shortly after the miraculous situation, but police have now set the record straight.
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The girl fell off the large vessel
The five-year-old girl is said to have fallen from the fourth deck of the cruise ship on Sunday as the vessel was sailing back to Florida from a trip to the Bahamas.
The father heroically jumped after her
Passengers onboard the Disney Dream ship then watched as the dad heroically jumped after his daughter to save her before managing to tread water until a boat reached both of them.
Some described it as a miracle
There are no reports of fatalities following the incident. Maritime experts have described the father and daughter as ‘very lucky’, while some described the save as ‘nothing short of a miracle’.
But there was a rumor on how she fell
Despite the praise to the father, some people weren’t so eager to compliment his quick save. Shortly after the incident, a rumor circulated about the circumstances which led up to the girl falling overboard.
It was claimed that the father had lifted her on top of a 3.5ft inch railing to take a photo when she fell.
Police have set the record straight about this
The Broward County Sheriff’s Office said on Wednesday, July 2, that the rumors were just gossip, revealing the truth behind how the girl fell.
Sheriff Gregory Tony explained that the girl was sitting on the railing and tumbled backwards through a porthole, which is how she fell. Her dad hadn’t positioned her there, per CBS.
They said he didn’t even see her fall
Police said that the dad didn’t even see the incident unfold, but rather was told by the girl’s mother that she had fallen, prompting him to jump after her.
“After the girl’s mother alerted her husband, who didn’t see the incident, he jumped into the ocean to save his daughter,” Sheriff Tony said.
CCTV footage supports this
“BSO detectives said after the 37-year-old father found his daughter, he treaded water until they were rescued by a tender that was launched from the ship,” Sheriff Tony added.
Police said that this version of events is supported by CCTV footage from the Disney Dream ship as well as statements from the cruise staff.
The dad was hospitalized after the rescue
After the ship reached its destination, the father was hospitalized for injuries he sustained while saving his daughter.
The sheriff praised the Disney Dream crew who came to the pair’s rescue during a high-stakes situation.
They saved the father and daughter swiftly
“The crew’s ‘man overboard’ training and readiness paid off because they executed a successful ocean rescue,” Sheriff Tony said.
“BSO investigators said the total time from the child’s accidental fall to the rescue was about 20 minutes. Once rescued, the father and daughter were checked out by the ship’s medical staff.”
The sheriff added that this information was released in response to the rumors circulating around the circumstances that led to the girl falling into the Atlantic.