A 73-year-old woman was rushed to a hospital after being impaled by a 100lb sailfish while fishing with her friends off the coast of Florida.
According to reports, the sailfish leaped out of the waters and stabbed Katherine Perkins in the groin with its bill while she was standing in the boat.
Her companions called 911 as they applied pressure to the wound. They immediately returned to the shore where Perkins was airlifted to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital.
Perkins is now recovering in the hospital but her current condition is still unclear.
The 73-year-old and her friends were fishing two miles off the shore of Stuart when they caught the sailfish.
The sailfish then attacked Perkins, who was standing in the boat while her friends were trying to take a photo with it.
“The sailfish jumped out of the water and stabbed Katherine in the groin area while she was standing next to the center console,” authorities said.
Residents Dominic Bellezza, 77, and Louis Toth, 75, applied pressure to the wound while rushing her to the shore where she was flown to a nearby hospital.
Perkins told police that the incident happened so fast she did not have enough time to react.
Like swordfish, sailfish are recognizable by their pointed bills. They can grow up to 11ft long and weigh up to 220lb.
Sailfish are also known to deep dive, try to remove fishing hooks, and drag fishing reels.
Floridians try to real sailfish but they are usually released. There is a tournament that sees Stuart residents attempting to reel sailfish in.
According to state records, the biggest sailfish caught in Florida weighed 126lbs. it was reeled in by Larry Maier off Big Pine Key on June 13, 2009.
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