MARATHON, Fla. — A 55-year-old woman from Michigan died Thursday in a freak accident in which she was struck by a 75-pound spotted eagle ray that jumped out of the Atlantic Ocean just off the shore of Key Colony Beach near Marathon, said Bobby Dube, spokesperson for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

"The officer on scene said she fell and maybe struck her head, too," Dube said. "There was a lot of blood on the boat.

There was no immediate cause of death, although authorities said no barb wounds were found on the woman. The spotted eagle ray landed in the bow of the boat, and it appears the woman may have hit her head on a metal rail on the side of the boat. She will be taken for an autopsy to be performed by the Monroe County medical examiner.

The woman was pleasure boating with her elderly parents and a sister about 10 a.m. on a 25-foot open fisherman vessel.

"She was just cruising on the boat, thinking they would enjoy a nice day of fun in the sun when something tragic happened," Dube said. "I've been in the Keys just under 20 years, and this is a first."

After the woman was struck, family members performed CPR and drove the boat to the nearest dock. A resident called 911.

Spotted eagle rays are capable of leaping completely out of the water when pursued. They swim by "flying" gracefully through the water via the undulation of the pectoral fins.

"They naturally jump out of the water, like porpoises do," Dube said. "It's natural to them and quite spectacular to watch."

Dube said it was just a freak accident for the woman to be in the ray's path when it jumped.

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(c) 2008, The Miami Herald.