Young girl who fell from Disney Dream cruise was too ‘small’ to trigger man overboard alert: report

Five-Year-Old Falls from Disney Cruise Ship

Florida officials reported that a five-year-old girl who fell off a Disney cruise ship into 50 feet of water couldn’t activate the ship’s ocean sensors due to her size.

A recent report from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office revealed that the critical alarm on the Disney Dream didn’t sound until moments after her father jumped into the water. This incident took place as the cruise was returning to Florida from the Bahamas on June 29.

Detective Christopher Favitta noted that the girl was with her family on the fourth deck when her mother encouraged her to pose by an open porthole. She lost her balance and fell into the water at 11:29 a.m. Unfortunately, her small size meant she didn’t trigger the man-overboard sensor.

Her father jumped into the water 45 seconds later and raised the alarm at 11:30 a.m. The alarm was announced over the ship’s communication system shortly after.

Rescue teams were dispatched at 11:40 a.m. and managed to retrieve the father and daughter nine minutes later. They were taken to the ship’s medical center for care just before noon.

Both were then transferred to Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, where the father received treatment for an unspecified condition. Fortunately, the girl was unharmed.

According to court documents, neither parent faces criminal charges. Initially, the father received acclaim for his quick action, but unsubstantiated rumors regarding his responsibility for the incident led authorities to clarify his innocence.

While there were initial recommendations for charges against the mother, the Broward County State’s Attorney’s Office ultimately decided against pursuing the case, leading to its closure.