Disney cruise ship fall: Did the father put his daughter on railing for a photo? Here is what the police said

A young girl fell overboard from a Disney cruise ship recently, and her father instantly dove into the ocean to save her. He was being hailed as a hero at the time, as he jumped in without a second thought about his own safety. However, that quickly changed after rumours started swirling that his irresponsible act put the little girl in danger. Gossip started that the man had lifted his daughter on top of a 3.5ft railing for a photo, and this is when she fell. The police have now addressed all these reports. The incident happened at around 11.30 am on Sunday when the Disney Dream cruise ship was sailing to Fort Lauderdale from the Bahamas. The girl fell from the fourth deck, triggering panic on board.

The Broward County Sheriff's Office is investigating the incident. It has been confirmed that the girl was sitting on the railing and fell backwards through a porthole, but her father had not told her to sit there. He did not see her falling into the water and was alerted by her mother. The man instantly jumped into the water, saved her daughter and kept her afloat for 20 minutes till rescue teams pulled them out. "After the girl’s mother alerted her husband, who didn’t see the incident, he jumped into the ocean to save his daughter," Sheriff Gregory Tony 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." Also Read: Dad jumps from Disney cruise to save 5-year-old daughter who fell overboard

Girl who fell overboard Disney cruise ship was in the water for 20 minutes

The police recorded statements from the family and Disney cruise staff on the incident. The CCTV video from the ship confirmed what they 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 said. The father is believed to have sustained injuries in the incident, although what exactly happened to him has not been revealed.

The sheriff added that the family is "blessed" to have received "good news rather than what could have been a tragic outcome." More details are being gathered on the incident, and the probe is ongoing. Sheriff Tony added that the department chose to release the information on the dad's role because of the misinformation that is going around. Passengers on the ship have different versions of the incident. One of them said that the parents were playing shuffleboard and the girl was climbing the railings, resulting in the fall. No one who actually saw the girl falling has talked about the incident publicly yet.