Britney Spears has spoken out for the first time since her niece got badly injured in an ATV accident.
Over the weekend, Maddie Aldridge, the eight-year old daughter of Jamie Lynn Spears, was involved in a very serious crash while on board one of these off-road vehicles.
According to initial reports, Maddie was submerged under water for several minutes as a result of the incident.
She lost consciousness and was air-lifted to a local hospital in Louisiana.
TMZ had claimed at first that Maddie was on her way back from a hunting expedition at the time, but new information alleges that the little girl was actually driving her own ATV.
She was gifted a vehicle known as a Polaris RZR 170 for her seventh birthday by her mom and sources say she was playing around in it when the accident occurred.
Jamie Lynn was on the scene and frantically tried to unfasten her daughter’s seatbelt after the ATV flipped over and landed a pond.
Paramedics arrived and successfully freed Maddie from her restraints.
She is currently in stable but critical condition.
This discrepancy is likely what a rep for the family was referring to when he released the following statement:
“The details the media are reporting surrounding the incident regarding Jamie Lynn’s daughter Maddie are incorrect.
“Right now the Spears family asks that everyone respect their privacy during this time and appreciates all the prayers and support for their family.”
On Monday, Jamie Lynn and Britney’s dad didn’t offer any new details when speaking to Entertainment Tonight.
“All I can say is pray for our baby Maddie,” Jamie Spears simply said.
And now Britney is saying basically the same thing.
Along with the following photo of adorable Maddie, Britney penned a caption on Instagram that included a heart emoji and read:
“Need all the wishes and prayers for my niece.”
People Magazine writes that the ATV accident took place around 3 p.m. on Sunday and that Britney has flown to be with her family in Louisiana.
The police confirm that the crash took place on Jamie Lynn’s property and that her husband, Jamie Watson, also tried to rescue Maddie from the pond.
After steering the vehicle to avoid running over a nearby drainage ditch, the young girl took a hard right and “overcorrected, causing the ATV to enter the pond,” states the police report, which adds:
“The ATV and child were instantly submerged in the water right before their eyes.”
Continues the report:
“Within seconds the child’s mother, stepfather and other family members reached the pond, dove in and attempted to rescue the child to no avai.
“The child was trapped and secured by the seatbelt and the ATV’s safety netting.
“Within two minutes, Acadian Ambulance Services arrived and assisted in freeing the child from the cold waters.”
It concludes:
“This is an extremely tragic accident. 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.”
Please join us in doing so.