Sturgeon jumps on boat killing 5 year old girl and injuring two others

quote:

---

Florida officials are investigating a sturgeon strike that killed a 5-year-old girl and injured her mother and older brother.

All three were on a boat on the Suwannee River in Dixie County Thursday night when a huge sturgeon jumped out of the water and smacked into them.

---

quote:

---

Wildlife officials identified the dead girl as Jaylon Rippy of Trenton, Fla.

She was airlifted to a Gainesville Hospital, along with her mother, Tanya Rippy, 31, and her 9-year-old brother Trevor.

The boy suffered a broken arm, WCJB-TV reported Saturday.

The mother sustained injuries to her face mostly around her eyes, the station said.

---

quote:

---

WCJB reported that Jaylon and her family were on a friend's boat. The sturgeon hit them as they were helping the friend take the boat out of the water near the Joe Anderson Boat Ramp in Fanning Springs.

---

quote:

---

The fish are known for leaping more than 7 feet above the water. They can grow up to 8 feet long and weigh up to 200 pounds and can cause serious injuries.

The Sun said sturgeon usually return from the Gulf to the Suwannee in the spring and that low river levels this year are causing the sturgeon to jump more frequently than in recent years. The newspaper said scientists can’t explain why the fish jump, but they are confident the fish are not trying to attack boaters.

---