MIAMI , Florida ( CNN ) -- A woman sunbathing on a boat died after a stingray leaped from the water off the Florida Keys on Thursday and struck her , officials said . The dead stingray lies on the deck of a boat in Florida . `` It 's just as freakish of an accident as I have heard , '' said Jorge Pino of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission . `` The chances of this occurring are so remote that most of us are completely astonished that this happened . '' He said it was not clear whether the 55-year-old Michigan woman died from the blow to her head , from the ray 's barb piercing her or from her fall backward . The accident happened off the coast of Marathon Key , in the Florida Keys about an hour 's drive south of Miami . The woman , who was with her husband and children , was taken to the Mariner Hospital in Tavernier , where she was pronounced dead . Pino said he had seen stingrays leap into the air , but added , `` it 's very rare for them to collide with objects . '' Results from an autopsy to be conducted by the medical examiner will be combined with witness statements and evidence from aboard the vessel to determine the cause of death , he said . The spotted eagle ray weighed about 75 pounds , said Becky Herrin , a spokeswoman for the Monroe County Sheriff 's Office . The species , also called a leopard ray or bonnet skate , can measure up to 8 feet in length , with an 8-foot tail , and weigh up to 500 pounds , according to the Florida Museum of Natural History 's Web site . They tend to swim close to the surface and can leap out of the water when being pursued , according to the site . E-mail to a friend .
Sunbather on boat off Florida dies after fish strikes her , officials say . Unknown whether ray 's barb , blow to head or fall caused her to die . Victim was 55-year-old woman from Michigan . Spotted eagle ray weighed about 75 pounds , sheriff 's spokeswoman says .