Heroic dad jumps off Disney cruise ship to save his daughter after she falls from 4th deck
Onlookers held their collective breath waiting for the scene to unfold.
A parent would have done the same.
Sometimes, our worst nightmares happen during moments that should feel safe and joyous. They happen no matter how careful and methodical we are to try to prevent them, and when they do, all we can do is rely on our instincts and quick thinking.
For one father, that nightmare looked like watching his daughter falling overboard while on a Disney cruise.
On June 29, as reported by Newsweekand USA Today, the two were aboard the Disney Dream, whichwas returning to Fort Lauderdale, Florida after four days of sailing through the Bahamas. While it's unclear as to how the little girl fell off (though some suspected that the girl was sat on the railing to get a selfie) sources confirmed that the ship was moving, not docked, when she did fall from the fourth deck—making matters even more dire.
Thank goodness this story has a happy ending.Photo credit: Canva
On the last day of our Dream voyage and it is an at Sea Day. A girl fell overboard from the 4th deck & her dad went in after her. Right after the incident we heard on the loud speaker MOB Port side!!...
The father did as many fathers would do. He jumped after her.
Over on social media, including a Disney Dream Cruise Ship Facebook group, people recalled the incident.
“Her dad went in after her,” one passenger aboard the ship wrote. “Right after the incident, we heard on the loudspeaker, ‘MOB [Man overboard] Port side!! Thankfully, the [Disney] rescue team was on it immediately and both were saved!”
Another fellow passenger shared video footage showing a life boat quickly coming to the rescue.
“We are committed to the safety and well-being of our guests," Disney Cruise Line wrote in a statement, "and this incident highlights the effectiveness of our safety protocols.”
These safety protocols largely involve overboard detection systems utilizing thermal cameras and/or micro radars to notify crew of someone falling overboard almost immediately.
To put things into perspective, only one or two people go overboard each month out of roughly 2.5 million who cruise during the same time frame, and those numbers seem to be continuously dwindling, no doubt in part thanks to tech like this. But point being, these accidents remain super rare occurrences.
- YouTubewww.youtube.com
Obviously, it doesn’t make them any less scary—especially in this circumstance. Which made it all the more a relief that both the father and daughter were brought back to safety.
"That's terrifying!!! Thank goodness for the happy ending though,” one viewer wrote.
Still another said, “I praise the dad for his courage and bravery to save his daughter. She will be forever thankful. A father's love.”
Indeed, many, if not most parents would have similarly risked their lives in the same situation. But thankfully this act of bravery didn’t have to become a sacrifice.
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