'We were blessed': Jamie Lynn Spears on daughter Maddie's near-fatal ATV accident
HAMMOND, LOUSIANA: Years after the tragic accident, Jamie Lynn Spears has a new outlook on her daughter's life who survived the near-death crash five years ago. In a recent interview, the 31-year-old 'Sweet Magnolias' actor talked about how she and her daughter, Maddie, dealt with the trauma.
Maddie, then eight-year-old juvenile in the tragic accident, crashed a Polaris ATV into a pond at the house of her stepdad Jamie Watson's family in Louisiana on 5, February 2017. According to the Sheriff's Daniel Edwards statement at the time, to avoid a drainage ditch she overcorrected, leading the ATV to crash into the pond. “The ATV and child were instantly submerged in the water," the Sheriff said.
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Though her stepfather, mother, and other family members were quick enough to pay attention to rescue Maddie but she was badly trapped in the seat belt and safety netting of the vehicle. Within a few minutes, an ambulance service joined in to rescue her and took her to the hospital in critical condition. Maddie miraculously had no brain injury and subsequently made a full recovery. Spears revealed, “We did a lot of work, obviously, to process it and now it’s more about focusing on the positive and the fact that it is a miracle — and that is not the case for so many people,” as per Page Six. “We were blessed. Things like that don’t just happen for no reason,” she adds. “That’s how we discuss it now. It’s our miracle anniversary, not our accident anniversary. And both Maddie and I are so grateful.”
As she filmed the new reality series on Fox, Spears was forced to relive the terrifying yet miraculous experience on “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.” The “Sweet Magnolias” star, as per the outlet, was one of 16 celebrities that traveled to Jordan's deserts to challenge their physical and mental strength by taking part in a series of demanding tasks intended for U.S. military training. Mere hours into production, the group — also including the likes of ex-'Bachelorette' Hannah Brown and 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' star Kenya Moore — was asked to jump out of a helicopter into open water.
“I was beyond terrified and, of course, triggered,” the “Zoey 101” alum reflects. “But I just had to do it, get through it. And I’m so glad I did,” following a wave of emotional suffering, Spears eventually felt better after finishing the adrenaline-pumping activity, which forced her to burst into tears and make her vomit. “The way they used the physical elements to bring out this mental healing was really important. Obviously, having to go through that experience with Maddie was very tragic for me,” she explains.
“And even though it turned out to be a miracle and she survived, all the water and the elements involved in the helicopter mission were tough for me. The second I was asked if I was OK, I threw up. My body remembered the trauma of Maddie’s accident, but it was also super healing.” The stream of tears that followed felt cathartic, said the mom of two, who also parents daughter Ivey, 4, with Watson. “I cried for, like, the next hour after that. I needed that. I never, really, I think, allowed myself to go there and the only way to get there emotionally and mentally was if I physically pushed myself,” she told the outlet.