Overview

• Broward County investigators determined the five-year-old lost her balance and slipped backward through a porthole on Deck 4 of the Disney Dream.
• Officials refuted social media claims that the father placed his daughter on a railing for a photo.
• Security footage reviewed by detectives corroborated the family and crew accounts of the overboard fall.
• The father jumped in and treaded water with his daughter for about 20 minutes before Disney Cruise Line crew rescued and returned them to the ship; both received medical evaluations and the father was hospitalized.
• With no foul play suspected, the ongoing inquiry has reignited calls for enhanced deck barrier designs and overboard detection systems across the cruise industry.