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A holiday boat trip in the Florida Keys turned to tragedy when Judy Kay Zagorski, a 57-year-old mum from Michigan, lost her life after a massive spotted eagle ray leapt from the water and struck her in the face - an incident experts described as a 'freak accident'.

The unusual incident involving the spotted eagle ray took place 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.

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

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The impact knocked her backwards onto the floor of the vessel. Officials said she showed no evidence of puncture wounds from the creature's venomous barbs.

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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 escaped injury. Judy's father, Virgil Bouck, was piloting the boat at the time, and her mother Verneta was also on board, as the family had been enjoying a spring break together.

The ray ended up dead in the vessel following the impact. Wildlife authorities characterised it as a freak accident - spotted eagle rays are not aggressive and only deploy their venomous tail barbs for defence.

While they are known to jump from water to evade predators or shed parasites, collisions with humans are virtually unprecedented.

Spotted eagle rays can reach up to 500 pounds with wingspans as broad as ten feet. They are protected under Florida law and typically glide peacefully near the ocean's surface.

Judy's death stunned both residents and tourists. 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.

Specialists emphasise that such accidents are exceptionally uncommon. There have been isolated incidents involving rays landing in boats previously, 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.