Miraculous Survival Story
Jamie Lynn Spears and Daughter Maddie Detail Near-Fatal 2017 ATV Accident
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Spears said the family was watching Maddie when the incident began, but they “still don't quite know if she was dodging a dog or what it was,” adding uncertainty around what triggered the ATV to flip into the pond.
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During the last rites, Jamie Lynn Spears described the moment she says Maddie “physically sit[ed] up in all her restraints and tubes,” and quoted that “Even the priest was like, 'I've never seen anything like what's happening.'” She also said she was “screaming for the doctors.”
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Spears told People she bargained with God during Maddie’s coma—saying, “I was like, 'I'll have a baby. I'll have whatever you want'”—and said Maddie asked for “a baby sister” immediately after waking. Spears later revealed she was pregnant and had her youngest daughter, Ivey.
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Maddie compared her close relationship with her mother to the TV show “Gilmore Girls,” saying, “They grew up together, and we kind of did too,” while describing Spears as “strict but with good reason” for safety.
Jamie Lynn Spears and her daughter Maddie Briann Aldridge sat down for a series of interviews in June 2026 to revisit one of the most terrifying days of their lives. On February 5, 2017, eight-year-old Maddie crashed a Polaris Ranger 170 ATV into a pond on the family's Louisiana property, becoming trapped underwater for more than six minutes. Doctors later confirmed she made a full neurological recovery — something medical experts called statistically improbable. People and USA Today covered the retrospective interviews extensively.
Maddie spent roughly 48 hours in a medically induced coma at Children's Hospital in New Orleans before regaining consciousness. Her mother, Jamie Lynn, described the ordeal as a test of faith that permanently changed how she parents. "We were given a miracle," Spears told OK Magazine.
Six Minutes Underwater and a Desperate Rescue
The accident happened on a family property in Fluker, Louisiana. Maddie was riding the youth-model ATV when she suddenly swerved — Spears told People the family "still don't quite know if she was dodging a dog or what it was." The vehicle flipped into a small pond and pinned Maddie underneath, upside down.
Jamie Lynn and stepfather Jamie Watson reached the pond within seconds. They could not free Maddie from the safety netting and seatbelt. First responders arrived and extracted her after more than six minutes submerged. When she came out of the water, she was not breathing. She was airlifted to Children's Hospital in New Orleans in critical condition, according to USA Today.
A Priest, Last Rites, and a Moment No One Expected
After two days in a coma, doctors held little hope. A priest arrived to administer last rites — the Catholic sacrament given to those near death. What happened next left everyone in the room speechless. Spears described watching Maddie "physically sit up in all her restraints and tubes." She recalled the priest saying, "I've never seen anything like what's happening," according to Parade.
Spears said she "was screaming for the doctors." Maddie regained consciousness shortly after. The first thing she asked for was a baby sister. Spears told People she had bargained with God during the coma, saying, "I'll have a baby. I'll have whatever you want." In April 2018, 14 months after the accident, Spears gave birth to her youngest daughter, Ivey Joan Watson.
Maddie's Recovery and the Science Behind Her Survival
Maddie left the hospital just five days after the accident, on February 10, 2017, with no lasting brain damage. Medical experts noted at the time that surviving six-plus minutes underwater without neurological damage is extremely rare. Some doctors suggested the cold pond water may have triggered a "mammalian dive reflex" — a survival response that slows the heart and protects the brain. Maddie told Good Morning America she doesn't remember the water at all. "I just remember the way everyone rallied," she said.
Safety advocates pointed out that the Consumer Product Safety Commission had guidelines suggesting children under 10 should not operate vehicles like the 170cc Polaris Ranger. The incident briefly sparked national debate about ATV use by young children in rural areas, according to OK Magazine.
A 'Gilmore Girls' Bond and What Comes Next
Nine years later, Maddie is 18, playing softball, and preparing for college. She compared her relationship with her mother to the TV show "Gilmore Girls," telling Parade, "They grew up together, and we kind of did too." She described Spears as "strict but with good reason" — a parenting style her mother says grew directly from the 2017 trauma.
Jamie Watson, Maddie's stepfather, now coaches her softball team. He was described by Spears as the person who "never left the pond's edge" during the rescue. Maddie said she feels grateful for every day. "The accident changed all of us," Spears told OK Magazine. "It changed the way I see everything."
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