New Zealand Woman Crushed by Leaping Dolphin
Date: 28-Dec-06
Country: NEW ZEALAND
The 27-year-old woman had been watching from the bow of the small boat cruising among the marine mammals off the North Island's Coromandel Peninsula on Tuesday when the bottlenose dolphin landed on her, the New Zealand Herald said.
She suffered serious head injuries and was flown to hospital in Auckland.
The dolphin also smashed the boat's windscreen and bow rails before jumping back into the ocean, witnesses told the Herald.
Coast guard official Steve Taylor said the dolphin probably got over-excited and jumped on to the boat, although he had never heard of such an incident before.
Bottlenose dolphins, which can measure up to 2.5 metres (8.2 feet) in length and weigh as much as 260 kg (572 pounds), are known for their friendly behaviour towards human beings and seldom become aggressive.