TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. (AP) - An Ohio woman is recovering after a
pelican slammed into her face while she was swimming in the Gulf of
Mexico.

Debbie Shoemaker of Toledo, Ohio, was swimming Thursday around 1:45 p.m. near Treasure Island, a beach community west of St.
Petersburg, when she felt something hit her face.

Paramedics from the St. Pete Beach Fire Department responded to
the call and took her to a local hospital, where more than 20 stitches were needed to close a large gash in her cheek. The agency's chief says he never heard of a pelican diving into the water and colliding with anyone.

The 50-year-old housecleaner, who vacations in Florida about twice a year, returned home Friday.

An expert surmises the bird was likely diving for fish and hit
Shoemaker by accident. The pelican died.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)