New details have emerged regarding a young girl who fell overboard on a Disney Cruise.
The incident took place on June 29 aboard the Disney Dream cruise ship as it was returning from a four-day voyage around the Bahamas to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
While her father didn’t witness the fall, he sprang into action the moment his wife alerted him.
“After the girl's mother alerted her husband, who didn't see the incident, he jumped into the ocean to save his daughter,” authorities said. “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.”
The entire ordeal - from the fall to the rescue - lasted about 20 minutes.
Once brought back onboard, both the father and daughter were examined by the ship’s medical staff and later transported to a local hospital after the vessel docked at Port Everglades the following morning.
According to a newly released statement by the Broward Sheriff’s Office, cited by the Mirror, the little girl lost her balance while sitting on a railing on deck 4 and fell backwards through a porthole into the open ocean.
Though the family’s identity has not been publicly disclosed, officials confirmed they live out of state and asked for privacy. The father remains hospitalized, but the full extent of his injuries has not been released.
Police also moved swiftly to shut down online speculation that the father had placed the child on the railing for a photo opportunity.
“The little girl was not being held, as erroneously reported on some social media sites,” the Broward County Sheriff’s Office clarified in a statement to CBS News Miami.
Passengers onboard recalled the drama as it unfolded.
Monica Shannon, who was waiting on a lower deck with her family to meet Disney princesses, described the moment: “I just figured it was maybe a part of the show or just the experience, but about five minutes later we heard that someone flew overboard.”
Shannon also shared what she had learned from a crew member stationed on deck 4, where the fall occurred: “She did say that she was climbing up and the parents were playing shuffleboard and the dad jumped in after her.”
Once the rescue boat reached the child, she was comforted by Alyssa Charles, a pediatric and emergency care specialist who has served as the lead physician on the Disney Dream since August of last year.
Charles was seen cradling the girl onboard the rescue vessel in a widely shared clip on social media. Her sister, Jasmine, shared the moment with pride, captioning the video: “That’s my sister! Doctor on the rescue boat!” and “I am so emotional watching this, and I am such a proud little sister!”
Authorities and Disney Cruise Line have praised the professionalism and training of the crew, which helped ensure a successful rescue.
“The crew’s ‘man overboard’ training and readiness paid off because they executed a successful ocean rescue,” BSO said in its report. “This family is so blessed. It’s great to be able to respond to good news rather than what could have been a tragic outcome.”
The Disney Dream, which carries up to 4,000 passengers across 14 decks, continued to Florida as scheduled following the incident.