A holiday boat trip in the Florida Keys turned to tragedy when a 57-year-old mother was killed by a large spotted eagle ray that leapt from the sea and struck her in the face, in an incident specialists described as a 'freak accident'.
Judy Kay Zagorski, from Michigan, was sitting at the front of the boat travelling at around 25 mph near Marathon when the 75-pound ray, with a wingspan of approximately six feet, suddenly burst from the water. The impact knocked her backwards onto the deck, causing fatal blunt force trauma to her head.
Monroe County's medical examiner confirmed she died instantly from multiple skull fractures and direct brain injury, without any puncture wounds from the animal's venomous barbs. The ray also died from the collision. Her sister, Joyce Ann Miller, who was standing beside her, was unharmed, while her father was driving the boat and her mother was also on board.
Wildlife officials noted that spotted eagle rays are not aggressive and only use their venomous tails for defence. They occasionally leap from the water to escape predators or remove parasites, but collisions with people are almost unheard of. Judy's brother described her as a 'truly awesome sister' who volunteered with terminally ill patients.
The case has drawn comparisons to other rare marine-related accidents, including the death of Steve Irwin in Australia. Experts stress that such incidents are extremely rare, with fatalities almost never reported.
