When the news first released reports that Jamie Lynn Spears’s eight-year-old daughter, Maddie Briann Aldridge, had crashed her ATV into a pond, it noted that the accident occurred during a hunting trip. In fact, the details are far more harrowing. Maddie drove into a pond on the family’s property, as Spears and her husband watched in horror.
Just before 3 p.m. on Sunday, Maddie steered her vehicle away from a drainage ditch but, according to the report, “she overcorrected causing the ATV to enter the pond...The ATV and child were instantly submerged right before their eyes.”
Spears and other family members immediately dove into the pond, yet they could not detach Maddie from her seatbelt and the safety netting. After two minutes, Acadian Ambulance Services arrived on the scene and were successful in retrieving the child from the water.
Maddie is in stable, but nonetheless critical condition. Jamie Spears, father to Jamie Lynn and Britney Spears, and grandfather to Maddie, shared a brief but heartbreaking statement with Entertainment Tonight. “All I can say is pray for our baby Maddie,” he said.
The official report emphasizes the family’s need for privacy during this tragic time:
“‘This is an extremely tragic accident,’ the report concludes. ‘The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office is asking you to keep this family in your constant prayers as they try to cope with this horrible incident. We ask that you respect their privacy during this time of need.’”
[People]
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