Florida teen knocked out by fish leaping from river

CHIEFLAND, Fla. - Florida wildlife authorities say a teenager was knocked unconscious by a sturgeon jumping from the Suwannee River.

It's the second strike involving that type of fish in two weeks on a north Florida river.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the sturgeon are jumping just as they have for millions of years. Occasionally Florida boaters get in their way.

Authorities say 14-year-old Heavyn Nash of Fanning Springs was boating with family Sunday in Manatee Springs State Park when a sturgeon up to 6-feet long leapt into the boat, knocking her out. She was treated at a hospital.

Another sturgeon crashed into a boat's windshield May 23 on the Santa Fe River.

Sturgeon can leap more than seven feet out of the water. The protected fish average 40 pounds.

CBS affiliate WGFL in Gainesville reports the fish arrive in the region this time of year with a population of 10,000-14,000 annually in the region as they migrate out of the Gulf of Mexico.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission officer Rodney Boone told WGFL that getting hit with a leaping fish, which can grow up to 200 pounds, is rather painful.

"The edges of their scales are sharp like razor blades. So when they hit something, it's kind of like getting hit with a brick or baseball bat coated with razor blades."

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