The 5-year-old girl who plunged 50 feet into the ocean after tumbling backward off a Disney cruise ship was too “small” to trigger the vessel’s man-overboard sensors, Florida authorities alleged.
The crucial alarms aboard the Disney Dream didn’t sound until seconds later when the young girl’s father heroically leapt after her as the ship was returning to Florida from the Bahamas on June 29, according to a shocking new report released by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, People reported.
The little girl was walking with her family on the fourth deck when her mother allegedly asked her to pose on a railing in front of an open porthole, Detective Christopher Favitta wrote in the report.
She lost her balance and plunged into the water below at 11:29 a.m., but her “small body figure did not trigger the man overboard (MOB) sensors,” he said.
The youngster’s father dove overboard 45 seconds later, setting off the alarm at 11:30 a.m., with the alert then broadcast to the ocean liner’s communication system a minute after.
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.
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