Horrifying final moments of mum killed by gigantic stingray jumping out of the sea

A holiday boat trip in the Florida Keys ended in tragedywhen Judy Kay Zagorski, a 57-year-old mother from Michigan, was killed by a massive spotted eagle ray that jumped out of the water and struck her in the face - which specialists described as a ‘freak accident’.

Earlier this week, we reported the horrifying tragedy of a doctor's death when he was decapitated in a lift in front of a hospital colleague.

The rare incident involving the spotted eagle ray occurred near Marathon, on the Atlantic Ocean side of Vaca Key, as Judy was enjoying a day out with her family in the spring of 2008.

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According to authorities, Judy was sitting at the front of the boat travelling at around 25 mph when the 75-pound ray- with a wingspan of around six feet - suddenly burst from the sea.

The impact knocked her backwards onto the floor of the boat. Officials said she showed no evidence of puncture wounds from the animal’s venomous barbs. The force of the collision alone caused fatal injuries.

Monroe County's medical examiner confirmed Judy died instantly from blunt force trauma, suffering multiple skull fractures and direct brain injury. She was not stung.

Her sister Joyce Ann Miller was standing beside her but was unharmed. Judy’s father, Virgil Bouck, was driving the boat at the time, and her mother Verneta was also on board, as the family had been enjoying a spring holiday together.

The ray landed dead in the boat after the collision. Wildlife officials described it as a freak accident - spotted eagle rays are not aggressive and only use their venomous tail barbs for defence.

While they are known to leap from water to escape predators or remove parasites, collisions with people are almost unheard of.

Spotted eagle rays can grow up to 500 pounds with wingspans as wide as ten feet. They are protected under Florida law and usually swim peacefully near the ocean's surface.

Judy’s death shocked both locals and visitors alike. Speaking to NBC News, her brother Dan Bouck described her as “a truly awesome sister” who volunteered with terminally ill patients and operated Beadle Bay Marina and Campground with her late husband Steve Zagorski.

Experts stress that such accidents are extremely rare. There have been isolated incidents involving rays landing in boats before, but fatalities are almost never reported.

This case has drawn comparisons to other high-profile accidents involving marine life, including the death of Steve Irwin in Australia.