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Mar 21, 2008 7:05 pm US/Eastern
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Victim Of Leaping Ray Died From Blunt Head Trauma
MARATHON (CBS4) ―
A woman died in a freak accident in the Keys involving a sea creature yesterday. On Friday, the Monroe Medical Examiner's Office reported Judy Kay Zagorski, 55 of Michigan, died from 'blunt head trauma" when an Eagle Ray jumped out of the water and knocked her down.
Her brother, 40, Dan Bouck said on Friday afternoon "she was a kind and loving person. She loved the outdoors. She was a hospice volunteer. Her death could not have been prevented."
Bouck said that if people wanted to make a donation, to please send it in her memory to The Marlette Hospice of Michigan at 800 635 7490.
Jorge Pino, with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said the woman was on a boat with her family off Marathon when an Eagle Ray jumped out of the water next to the vessel Thursday morning. The animal reportedly struck Zagorski who fell backward and suffered a severe head trauma.
"I've never seen this," said Pino. "It's an extremely rare occurrence, and she was just at the wrong place at the wrong time."
Initial reports had indicated that the animal's sharp defensive barb, located near the base of its tail, had lodged in the woman's neck. Those reports turned out to be unfounded.
The woman, who was from Pigeon, Michigan, died before help could arrive. She was aboard a rented boat with her sister, father, and mother. They were on vacation.
"I just woke up this morning to sirens, and my mom told me that a lady had gotten hurt by a sting ray," said neighbor Sandy Manqueros. "And it's a shame because I thought they were really loving creatures. I was born and raised her you know."
Elizabeth Kringel, watched it all happen about 200 yards off the dock of her waterfront home.
"And then I see this fish coming out of the water and it look like it came right in the boat," said Kringel. "And I yelled at my husband and I said, boy they have got an enormous fish out there."
CBS4.com
has learned that a second woman was injured in the incident and she's being treated at Fishermen's Hospital in Marathon.
The Eagle Ray is common in the waters off South Florida and the Keys.
"It's a common behavior for Eagles Rays to go 'aerial', or breach the surface," said Robert Rose, a curator with the Miami Seaquarium. "There are many reasons why they do it. They could be fleeing a predator or trying to dislodge a parasite."
Eagle Rays also jump when they are giving birth.
In South Florida waters, Rose said spotted Eagle Rays can grow up to 12 to 15 feet, from nose to tail, with a width or wingspan of 6 to 8 feet.
The tail, which has a venomous barb, has an interesting design," said Rose, "it looks like it has multiple arrowheads."
They pose no aggressive threat to humans in the wild.
Eagle Rays live close to the coast in depths of 3 to 60 feet and in exceptional cases they are found as deep as 900 feet.
The Eagle Ray is most commonly seen along sandy beaches in very shallow waters. The ray's two wings sometimes break the surface and giving the impression of two sharks traveling together.
Zagorski leaves behind two children.
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