Four years ago in February, Zoey 101 star and country singer Jamie Lynn Spears' daughter Maddie suffered a tragic accident when the ATV Maddie was driving fell into a pond, trapping the then 8-year-old underwater. Spears and her husband, Jamie Watson, immediately jumped into the water, but were unable to save Maddie. Maddie eventually made a full recovery, but Spears has said little about the event, which was traumatic for the family.

In a candid Instagram post last year, Spears reflected on the accident." It started with going to church, visiting family, and suddenly trying to save my daughter's life, then they took her away and we believed we had lost her forever and it literally felt like the world stopped around me."[3

In a statement at the time, the local sheriff's office said of the accident (opens in new tab): "The ATV and child were submerged in an instant before our eyes: ...... The child was caught and secured in the seatbelt and ATV safety net, and within two minutes Acadian Ambulance Service arrived and helped free the child from the cold water."

Maddie was initially reported in critical condition. Thankfully, she began to recover and was able to return to school a few months later. She also returned to sports, and the two paramedics who released her attended her ninth birthday party. Spears wrote on Instagram in a now-deleted post: "The most difficult milestone my family and I have ever faced was nearly losing our beautiful Maddie, but thanks to God and the two angels in this picture, we were all able to celebrate Maddie turning 9! We are so happy for her."[9

Spears wrote on Instagram three years later: "I have not talked in detail about what happened that day and after, but what I will tell you is that God blessed us with a true miracle. Maddy not only stayed here with us, but she was completely restored."

On their four-year anniversary, Spears shared a photo of the day she and her daughter were discharged from the hospital. 'Happiest day of my life. I didn't have shoes, I might be wearing hospital socks, I might be wearing someone else's clothes, but when I left the hospital I had so much more than I did when I was in the hospital. We are given the ultimate gift and we never take it for granted.