Jamie Lynn Spears thought she had ''lost'' her daughter when she was involved in an ATV accident three years ago.

The former 'Zoey 101' star feared for her daughter Maddie's life in February 2017 when an All-terrain Vehicle (ATV) she was riding rolled over into a pond, where the then-eight year old almost drowned.

And now, Jamie Lynn has said the horrifying experience was ''the worst thing ever'', as she battled with feelings of ''failure''.

Speaking through tears as she joined Maria Menounos' podcast 'Better Together', the 29-year-old actress said: ''My oldest daughter was in a, well, she was in a really bad accident.

''We were finally able to get her out of the water, and I saw her, and then the first responders took her from me. We thought we lost our daughter and in that moment I felt everything that you can feel, as far as like, 'This is the worst thing ever.'

''There's nothing worse. than looking at your child and thinking that you failed her. I didn't want her to think that I couldn't save her, or that I didn't try to save her.''

During the frightening accident, Maddie spent several minutes underwater as Jamie Lynn and others struggled to free her from the ATV's safety harness.

The youngster, now 11, was then airlifted to Children's Hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana, where she remained unconscious for several days.

Thankfully, Maddie - whose father is Jamie Lynn's ex-partner Casey Aldridge - made a full recovery with no signs of neurological damage.

Earlier this year, Jamie Lynn - who also has two-year-old Ivey with husband Jamie Watson - took to Instagram to mark three years since the terrifying ordeal, as she dubbed her daughter's recovery a ''miracle''.

She wrote: ''3 years ago today, Super Bowl Sunday fell on February 5th, and I'll never forget that, because it was the day my whole world stopped.

''It started like most Sunday's, going to church, visiting family, to suddenly trying to save my daughter's life, to them taking her away, to us believing we had lost her forever, and it literally felt like the world stood still around me.

''I have never spoken fully in detail about that day, and the events that followed, but what I will share is that God blessed us with a true miracle. Maddie not only stayed here with us, but she made a full recovery. (sic)''