A family holiday in the Florida Keys took a tragic turn when 57 year old Michigan mother, Judy Kay Zagorski, was killed by a giant spotted eagle ray that leapt from the water and struck her in the face. Experts have labelled the incident as a 'freak accident'.

This comes after we reported earlier this week about the shocking death of a doctor who was decapitated in a lift in front of a hospital colleague.

The unusual incident with the spotted eagle ray happened near Marathon, on the Atlantic Ocean side of Vaca Key, during a spring day out with her family in 2008.

Authorities report Judy was seated at the front of the boat, travelling at approximately 25 mph, when the 75-pound ray - boasting a wingspan of around six feet - suddenly emerged from the ocean. The impact threw her backwards onto the boat's floor.

Officials confirmed there were no signs of puncture wounds from the creature's venomous barbs, indicating the force of the collision alone resulted in fatal injuries. Monroe County's medical examiner verified that Judy died instantly from blunt force trauma, sustaining multiple skull fractures and direct brain injury.

She was not stung. Her sister, Joyce Ann Miller, who was standing next to her at the time, escaped unscathed, reports the Mirror.

Judy's father, Virgil Bouck, was steering the boat, and her mother Verneta was also present, as the family were enjoying a spring holiday together.

The ray was found lifeless in the vessel following the impact. Wildlife authorities characterised it as a bizarre mishap - spotted eagle rays are not hostile and deploy their poisonous tail spikes solely for protection.

Although they are recognised for jumping from water to evade threats or shed parasites, encounters with humans are virtually unprecedented.

Spotted eagle rays can reach weights of 500 pounds with wingspans extending to ten feet. They enjoy protection under Florida legislation and typically glide tranquilly close to the water's surface.

Judy's passing stunned both residents and tourists. Her brother Dan Bouck told NBC News she was "a truly awesome sister" who dedicated time to terminally ill patients and ran Beadle Bay Marina and Campground alongside her late husband Steve Zagorski.

Specialists emphasise that such incidents are exceptionally uncommon. There have been sporadic cases of rays landing in vessels previously, though deaths are scarcely documented.

This incident has prompted comparisons to other notable accidents involving sea creatures, including Steve Irwin's fatal encounter in Australia.