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Boater died from head trauma in collision with leaping eagle ray March 21, 2008 Monroe County Medical Examiner Dr. Michael Hunter has determined Judy Kay Zagorski, 55, of Pigeon, Mich., died from blunt force-trauma to the head when she was struck by a spotted eagle ray. The male, 75- to 80-pound ray had leapt out of the water and into the path of the victim’s boat. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) investigated the mishap, which occurred March 20, at approximately 10 a.m. near Vaca Key in Marathon. The victim was boating with her mother, father and sister when the collision occurred. They immediately called for help and took her to shore, but she did not survive. She is Florida’s sixth boating-related fatality of 2008. According to the FWC, eagle rays are not aggressive toward humans, but they do tend to leap from the water. Spotted eagle rays can have a wingspan of up to 10 feet and can weigh 500 pounds. This particular animal had an estimated wingspan of 5 or 6 feet. More information on spotted eagle rays is available at http://research.myfwc.com/features/view_article.asp?id=28370. |
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