Leaping stingray kills Michigan woman.
by Jason Baird

A spotted eagle ray weighing 75-pounds leaped from Florida Keys water Thursday colliding with a Pigeon, Michigan women.

Judy Kay Zagorski, 57, and her sister moved across the water at 25 mph at the front of a boat driven by their father.

Without any warning a stingray erupted from the water’s surface and struck Zagorski in the face. The impact threw Zagorski to the floor of the boat.

The impact likely killed the woman, and she did not appear to have puncture wounds from the ray's barb, said Jorge Pino, spokesperson for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. An autopsy is planned.

The 75-pound stingray with a 5-6 foot wingspan was killed by the collision, officials said.

They can push upwards to a 10-feet wingspan and weigh up to 100 pounds, said wildlife biologist Jeff Corwin. They can easily leap 5-7 feet into the air.

The rays are protected in Florida waters and are typically seen swimming on the water's surface.

In 2006 a stingray leaped onto the boat of James Bertakis and left a one-foot barb in his heart. He has since recovered.