Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of near-death experience and accidents. Reader discretion is advised.
Actress and singer Jamie Lynn Spears and her family have endured significant challenges over the past few years. In 2017, her daughter Maddie was involved in a serious ATV accident that nearly claimed her life. In a recent interview with PEOPLE, Spears and her daughter reflected on the traumatic event that almost changed their lives forever.
Jamie Lynn Spears Talks About the Miracle She Witnessed After Her Daughter's Accident
During the interview, the mother-daughter duo revisited the sensitive topic years after the incident that nearly took young Maddie's life. Spears detailed what happened when her daughter was just 8 years old and drove her ATV into a pond. She shared that while Maddie was in a coma, they called for a priest to administer last rites, a Catholic ritual for those near death. She recounted, "He comes in, and she physically sits up in all her restraints and tubes, I'm screaming for the doctors, like 'Come in here now!' I've never seen anything like what's happening."
Calling the event a "miracle," Spears said, "I knew she was in there and felt all of us praying. We were given a miracle, and I don't take it for granted." The incident also led to the family welcoming another member. Maddie had previously asked for a younger sibling, and when she woke from her coma, her first question was about that sibling. Spears remarked, "We always say she just went up to heaven to go pick out her little sister." Ivey, Spears' younger daughter who is now 8, was born in 2018.
Jamie Lynn Spears Opens Up About Her Daughter's ATV Accident
The actress revealed that Maddie, then 8, was driving the ATV around their home in Louisiana. A sharp turn proved disastrous, sending her into a nearby pond. Spears explained that everyone rushed to help, but Maddie was trapped under the ATV, making rescue difficult. Authorities eventually freed her from the water, but the danger persisted. "We thought that she had passed," Spears added. A firefighter eventually found a pulse, and Maddie was airlifted to a hospital, where she remained in a coma for about two days.
Years later, Maddie has fully recovered and often accompanies her mother to entertainment events. The family cherishes the miracle they experienced and remains grateful for Maddie's survival and the arrival of Ivey.
