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What began as a mother’s attempt to capture a picture-perfect vacation moment aboard Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Dream ended in tragedy, as police say a 5-year-old girl plunged from a deck after being encouraged to climb into an open porthole.
The rescue unfolded around 11:30 a.m. Sunday, June 29, on Deck 4 of the Disney Dream ship while it was in international waters between the Bahamas and Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO) confirmed to Fox News Digital.
According to a new report obtained by FOX 35 Orlando, the family was walking on the fourth deck of the ship when “they stopped to take a photo of the daughter.”
The mother allegedly “pointed to the porthole railing and the daughter climbed on the railing and sat down. The daughter lost her balance and fell backwards off the railing into the ocean,” according to the police report, obtained by FOX 35.
Investigators said the child was sitting on a railing near a porthole when she fell backward into the ocean. (WOFL-TV/Fox 35)
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The young girl fell from Deck 4 of the ship – 49 feet from the surface of international waters. After the girl’s mother alerted her husband, who didn’t see the incident, he jumped into the ocean to save his daughter.
BSO detectives said after the 37-year-old father found his daughter, he treaded water until they were rescued by Disney Cruise Line rescue personnel on a tender that was launched from the ship.
Passengers were alerted that someone had fallen overboard by an announcement over the ship’s loudspeakers, passengers said in a Facebook post. Dewayne Smith, another passenger, wrote on Facebook that “Man Over Board” rang across the loudspeaker as rescue teams sprang into action.
“Lots of praying folks on this ship! Both the little girl and dad were both successfully rescued!” he wrote.
The girl, according to the Broward Health Medical Center, suffered from mild hypothermia, minor lactic acidosis, an excessive buildup of lactic acid in the blood, and no injuries from the fall. The father had hypothermia, lactic acidosis and two spinal fractures, the medical center said.
WATCH: Dad and daughter reportedly rescued after they went overboard on cruise
FATHER LEAPS INTO OCEAN AFTER DAUGHTER FALLS FROM DISNEY CRUISE SHIP DECK: REPORTS
In a July 31 memo, Broward Assistant State Attorney Melissa Kelly decided not to charge the girl’s mother with child neglect resulting in great bodily harm.
“While the Defendant was irresponsible, her act of facilitating the victim’s position on the railing was an isolated incident that resulted from a momentary lapse in proper judgment and unawareness of surrounding circumstances,” Kelly wrote. “The child did not sustain any injuries and the Defendant immediately acquired help to rescue her daughter.”
The mom also denied having any previous allegations of child abuse. The memo also said the girl had previously taken swim lessons, but she could not swim.
When the girl fell overboard, her body was too small to trigger the Man Overboard ship sensors, Kelly said.
The girl’s father, who did not see the incident but heard the mother’s screams, jumped overboard to rescue his daughter. The man triggered the Man Overboard sensors, the memo said. He found his daughter in the water and held onto her until they were rescued, Kelly said.
WATCH: Girl, father reportedly rescued by Disney Cruise Lines after going overboard
Timeline:
11:30a.m. — The mom was taking pictures of her daughter on a cellphone when the girl climbed onto the 44-inch railing, sat down to face her mom and then lost her balance and fell overboard. The father jumped in after his daughter, initiating a Man Overboard protocol, which was broadcast over the ship’s communication system.
11:37 a.m. — A mayday call was initiated, and a rescue boat was launched three minutes later.
11:49 a.m. — The father and daughter were rescued from the water.
11:59 a.m. — The father and daughter were taken to the ship’s medical center and observed for nine hours, until transported to Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale.
The Disney Cruise Line confirmed that they performed a water rescue on the Disney Dream on June 29. (Mark Gauert/South Florida Sun-Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
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A representative for Disney did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. At the time, Disney confirmed the rescue of two passengers and praised “our Crew Members for their exceptional skills and prompt actions, which ensured the safe return of both guests to the ship within minutes.”