5-Year-Old’s Death on Disney Cruise Sparks Safety System Review
Authorities say a 5-year-old girl who fell overboard on a Disney Cruise ship this summer did not trigger the vessel’s safety sensors due to her small size.
According to a police report from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office obtained by PEOPLE, the incident occurred on June 29 aboard the Disney Dream as the ship was returning to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, following a four-night cruise to the Bahamas.
Detective Christopher Favitta wrote in the report that the child “fell backward through an open porthole” on Deck 4 while her family stopped to take photos. Her small body figure, investigators determined, did not trigger the ship’s “man overboard” sensors.
Instead, the alarm only activated after her father jumped into the ocean after her, less than a minute later.
The small body figure did not trigger the man overboard (MOB) sensors,” Favitta wrote. “The sensors were triggered when the father jumped in after her.
Father’s Heroic Response
The report details a harrowing series of events that unfolded in less than 20 minutes.
At approximately 11:29 a.m., the girl fell from the ship’s outer deck. Her father leapt into the water shortly after, prompting the MOB alert to sound at 11:30 a.m. The alert was broadcast over the ship’s communication system at 11:31 a.m.
Disney’s rescue team deployed boats by 11:40 a.m., locating and retrieving both passengers at 11:49 a.m. The pair was brought back aboard and transported to the ship’s medical center within minutes.
Both the father and daughter were treated for mild hypothermia, and the father was later taken to Broward Health Medical Center for additional injuries sustained during the rescue.
While the child survived the initial fall, she died several days later from complications, according to investigators familiar with the case.
A Disney Cruise Line spokesperson did not comment on the technical aspects of the MOB system but issued a statement at the time of the rescue, praising the crew for their “exceptional skills and prompt actions, which ensured the safe return of both guests to the ship within minutes.”
A Split-Second Accident
Investigators said the tragic fall happened when the family paused for a photo opportunity on Deck 4, which features open-air porthole railings.
“The mother pointed to the port hole railing, and the daughter climbed on the railing and sat down,” the report stated. “The daughter lost her balance and fell backward off the railing into the ocean.”
The assistant state attorney’s office later declined to file charges against the parents. In a September 16 email included in the report, Assistant State Attorney Melissa Kelly wrote that while the parents’ conduct “is arguably negligent and irresponsible, it does not rise to the egregious level of conduct necessary to establish criminal culpable negligence.”
Why the Alarm Didn’t Go Off
Under the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2010 (CVSSA), cruise lines operating in U.S. waters are required to integrate technology capable of detecting passengers who fall overboard “to the extent that such technology is available.”
However, industry standards for these systems remain loosely defined. The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), which represents major cruise companies, collaborated with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in 2020 to draft preliminary guidelines.
Those documents specify that man-overboard sensors should be able to detect a person at least 1.466 meters tall — about 4 feet 9 inches. It is unclear whether Disney’s system matches that benchmark.
The Disney Dream, one of the company’s largest ships, carries more than 4,000 passengers and employs advanced motion and infrared-based detection systems to monitor overboard incidents. However, the report suggests that the girl’s smaller size may have prevented her from being detected by the ship’s automated safety technology.
Neither Disney nor CLIA have commented publicly on whether any updates will be made to existing safety systems in light of the findings.
Cruise Industry Faces Safety Questions
The case has renewed scrutiny of overboard detection systems, which have been a topic of concern within the cruise industry for more than a decade.
According to a 2020 report by CLIA, between 2009 and 2019, there were 212 man overboard incidents reported among member cruise lines. Only 48 people were successfully rescued.
Cruise safety experts say that while technology has improved, detection systems still struggle with false alarms and difficulty recognizing smaller objects, especially children.
“This tragedy highlights the need for cruise operators to ensure their safety systems are sensitive enough to detect passengers of all ages,” one maritime safety analyst told PEOPLE.
Ongoing Review
The Broward County Sheriff’s Office officially closed the case earlier this month, ruling the death accidental.
While the family has not made a public statement, the investigation concludes that no criminal wrongdoing occurred. Authorities said the incident serves as a “somber reminder” of how quickly accidents can happen at sea, even under parental supervision.
As cruise lines continue to rely on artificial intelligence and motion sensors for safety, the Disney Dream case underscores a critical question for the industry: how to ensure that technology designed to save lives can detect the smallest and most vulnerable among us.