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Missouri Floods: Record-Setting Surges Expected; Child Porn Probe in Florida: Prostate Cancer Study; Florida Woman Dies After Collision with Stingray

Aired March 20, 2008 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Don Lemon. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: More now on that freak attack in the Florida Keys. Deputies say a woman died after a spotted eagle ray jumped out of the water and hit her in the head. The thing weighed about 75 pounds by one estimate. But eagle rays can weigh several times that. This happened about three hours ago off of Marathon Key.

And while stingrays are generally shy, they can be very dangerous to humans with their sharp, venomous stingers. This victim was 55 years old, from Michigan. She was boating with her family when the ray leapt into her boat. It's unclear whether she died from the blow to her head, the stingray's barb, or the subsequent fall that she may have taken backward.

Now, earlier, I talked with Jorge Pino from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Department.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: It's extremely unusual. I mean, the chances of this occurring are so remote that, I mean, most of us are completely astonished that this -- that this happened.

JORGE PINO, FLA. FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMM.: I mean, we have seen them, and I have seen them personally while I'm driving in the south Florida waterways, in the ocean in south Florida. You know, the ray actually jump out of the water, and I've seen that myself. But to actually see a -- or know of a collision with a ray is extremely unusual. And it's something that doesn't happen very often.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: George Pino is actually on his way to the scene of this accident as we speak, and we're going to talk with him live when he arrives and can tell us more.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LEMON: We've also been talking about the flooding in the Midwest. Joining us now on the phone is Eric Fuchs. He's the emergency management public information officer for Wayne County. He joins us now.

I under the evacuation process is what, in its 36th hour?

ERIC FUCHS, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PUBLIC INFO. OFFICER, WAYNE COUNTY: We -- actually 36 hours since we've done evacuations. We're finally in the recovery stage. We're finally able to take a breath.

LEMON: Finally able to take a breath. So, that's good news for you.

Tell us about what you're seeing there. I know people have been displaced. We've seen some rescues. Tell us about what you're doing there in Wayne County and what you've been seeing, Mr. Fuchs.

FUCHS: Well, the recovery efforts now, the water -- the city of Piedmont's without water, and some rural water districts without. So our problem now is trying to get water to the individuals, trying to do some damage assessment, and get our hands around exactly how much damage we have done.

LEMON: Which is, I'm sure, a lot. You don't know now because you haven't been able to tour the whole area, I'm sure.

FUCHS: No, we have not. We finally had some representatives to come in to help us with that. And the rescues we've done were really touch and go. Believe it or not, we've had no injuries or fatalities, and that's a miracle when you see some of the rescues that took place.

LEMON: It is. And it's a miracle if you look at some of the video we're looking at. And you know -- I always say that flooding is just really one of the worst, because there's nothing you can do to stop it or get out of the way, because that water will go anywhere. We're looking at people with just thick mud, inches of mud, probably feet in some places, caked into their houses.

FUCHS: That's right. And that's what we're trying to get now. We're trying to get people in where we can get them cleanup kits and recovery efforts, and get them working to get their lives back to normal.

LEMON: Yes. OK. And what are people doing? Because I know a lot of people are out of their homes. What are you offering them, real quick?

FUCHS: Well, right now we're just trying to get -- we've got the feeding stations set up. We do have some sheltering set up, and water. Food has not been an issue too much, but water has been our main issue. So the water has been our main problem, trying to get to everybody and getting it all distributed.

LEMON: We've been talking -- we spoke to the lieutenant governor, and he said that -- I think it was Anheuser-Busch or Budweiser had supplied fresh water for everyone.

FUCHS: That is true. We've had some from the Wal-Mart stores and also Anheuser-Busch. And the giving has been absolutely -- I can't even come up with the numbers that we've been offered and stuff that's already come in. It's hard to even keep track and fathom what all is being offered.

LEMON: OK. Hey, Mr. Fuchs, we appreciate you joining us. We know you have a lot of work to do, and we're going to let you get back to that and move on from here, and wish you the very best. OK, sir?

FUCHS: Thank you very much.

LEMON: And as we talk about that, that's happening in Wayne County, Missouri. We want to move now to Athens, Ohio.

Live pictures now from our affiliate there, WCMH. And again, as we've said, this has been happening all over the Midwest there. And you see, this is a street in front of someone's yard. But if you didn't -- you know, if we weren't telling you what was going on, you might think this was a river.

And again, all over the Midwest. This water just came rushing in after days and days of flooding. A deluge, so to speak.

Our Chad Myers has been following all of this, telling us about the horrific stories that have been happening there. And we have been seeing all day long, for hours, these ongoing rescues that have been happening, trying to get people out of places, into safety. People without electricity and you heard, without water, Brianna.

We're going to continue to follow this developing story right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

KEILAR: A child abduction alert ends in a tragic find. The bodies of three toddlers and their fugitive father have been recovered from a wooded area in Columbus, Georgia.

Twenty-eight-year-old Eddie Harrington (ph) is suspected of killing his twin daughters, just 23 months old, and also his three- year-old son, and then himself. Autopsies are being conducted to determine when they died.

Harrington disappeared with the children about two weeks ago. He left behind letters indicating that he was going to kill them.

And a high school student, a forklift driver, an auto salesman, and a computer tech -- what do they all have in common? Well, in this case, they're among those charged in a child porn probe in Florida.

And Fredricka Whitfield's got more from the breaking news desk.

And this -- I mean, this is so disturbing, Fredricka, this story.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: It really is disturbing, because we're talking about how widespread. And this really is just a Polk County, Florida, issue. This is not a pornography -- a child pornography ring that they believe has kind of tentacles throughout the U.S. So this is just in this area, but it's sizeable, nonetheless. Polk County, Florida, an undercover investigation leads to the arrest of 20 -- or rather, it leads to the arrest of 19, even though they are now looking for two other suspects. It means that 21 people in all have been charged in possession of child pornography, as well as promotion.

And you're looking at some of the faces of those who are being charged now. And this taking place in Polk County, after this undercover investigation.

They managed to go to several homes where they uncovered -- and these are the two suspects that are still at large, William Perren and Darryl Dixon. They will be facing the same charges as the other faces that you just saw up on the screen.

Meantime, investigators went to several homes. They uncovered more than 100,000 photographic images and 500 videos of children.

And what is disturbing is, you know, the fact that the ages of these children, the average age, between the ages of 7 and 9. And the youngest being just 1 month old.

These were the subjects of this child pornography ring. And so investigators feel happy that they have at least busted this ring. But we don't know anything about what kind of contact may have been made with these children that are -- whose images are being distributed in these 100,000 images that were confiscated in this child pornography ring.

So that's the latest information we have for now. And again, two others still being sought to even out the 21 in all who have been charged -- Brianna.

KEILAR: All right, Fredricka. Thanks for that.

LEMON: Several treatments exist for prostate cancer, but all have side-effects. So what's best? A new study adds to the debate.

And after five years of war in Iraq, almost 4,000 American troops have lost their lives. We'll hear from the sister of a U.S. Marine killed by a sniper.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

KEILAR: Well, if you've ever wondered how high gas prices would have to go before people cut back on their driving -- I know I certainly did during the last summer travel season -- well, we may have an answer. U.S. gasoline consumption is down one percent compared with last year, and this is very strange.

It normally goes up 1.5 percent per year. One expert says that in the current weak economy, $3.25 a gallon appears to be the breaking point. AAA says the current national average price for regular unleaded is just over $3.27 a gallon.

LEMON: All right. Some new information in to the CNN NEWSROOM here, and we're just getting it across the wires. Apparently, a new tape from Osama bin Laden, and this is according to our folks over at the international desk.

New tape from Osama bin Laden. And in it, he has some -- he has a message about Palestine.

All the information we're getting. Our Arab affairs correspondent, senior Arab affairs correspondent, Octavia Nasr, on top of this story. Looking over my shoulder, because she's going to come over here and join us -- she's not here yet -- to this let us know about the new tape from Osama bin Laden. Developing, more coming on that.

Also, we're about to show you two graphic reasons why the South Carolina State Parole is under federal investigation.

Here's number one. Recorded last April from a dashboard camera as an officer chased a suspect.

Take a listen.

(SIRENS)

OK. We're going to listen to the night video also, but look closely and you'll notice two fingers -- figures, I should say, ducking for cover. One is a child.

The chase also winds past some people at a playground. The suspect eventually was captured. The officer was reprimanded.

Here's the reason why -- number two -- we said that night video last June.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Running down Holman (ph) Street. Oh!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: There you go. They hit him. Well, believe it or not, the man who was running, this one -- is that accurate? This one that got hit, he got away?

He got away I'm being told by the producers. But the officer dragged two colleagues that he'd nailed him -- or he bragged to them that he had nailed him. The officer received a 24-hour suspension.

Now, were this not enough, other tapes released within the past few weeks, there it is again, show troopers using racial slurs and threatening to kill one suspect. The probe of the state parole involves the FBI, the U.S. attorney for South Carolina, and the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department.

Can we replay that? Scott, can you queue that back up?

Hold on one second. I want you guys to see that again. It's just an amazing video. And you'll see why.

This is the night video.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Running down Holman Street. Oh!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: OK. So that guy got away. As I said in the copy, one of the officers bragged to another one that he got him. Several of the officers had been heard using racial slurs. And you see they are chasing suspects in their parole cars, Brianna, captured on dashboard cam. And people are in the way.

KEILAR: And it's shocking. I know you basically yelped when you saw it, because the second tape, the night tape, I mean, it's just startling when you see it.

LEMON: Just unbelievable. Not that those guys did anything good. Obviously, they probably did something bad for them to chase them, but you don't do that, putting people in harm's way who don't have anything to do with the story.

KEILAR: Sure, certainly.

Well, so the doctor says you have prostate cancer. What should you do about it? We're going to have the latest findings for you here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

LEMON: Five years of fighting in Iraq, so many American men and women whose voices are silenced forever. We'll talk on to a woman keeping her Marine brother's legacy alive.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BUSINESS REPORT)

KEILAR: Two and a half weeks after a contaminated blood thinner called Heparin was linked to 19 deaths, U.S. health officials have identified the contaminant. It is a form of chondroitin sulfate.

This is a chemical widely used in dietary aids. And investigators say the contamination happened somewhere along the supply chain in China. Now, they don't know whether it was deliberate or accidental. The FDA says Beijing has cooperated so far with the investigation.

Prostate cancer can be treated lots of different ways. Each has its own risk and benefits. Now, the benefits are obvious. The risks include quality of life-type side-effects.

And CNN Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen has the results of a major news study.

So, is there a clear winner all of this?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know what? There isn't a clear winner. But this is information that people really need to know, because prostate cancer a relatively common form of cancer. And men and their families have to choose between a lot of different options.

So, let's take a look at what some of those options are. They include radioactive seeds that are put right there in the prostate, surgery, radiation, given externally, and hormone therapy. And what this New England Journal of Medicine study says is that there's really no one clear winner when it comes to side-effects.

Let's look at some of those side-effects. They include sexual problems such as impotence, low energy, and incontinence. Now, these are important side-effects. Like, these aren't just some little thing. These are important quality-of-life issues.

The one thing they did find, Brianna, is that when you do hormone therapy, along with any of the radiation treatments, that can be especially problematic when it comes to side-effects.

KEILAR: OK. And what are the -- obviously, side-effects, no clear winner. So, then, we just talk about saving lives. Is there a winner when you look at the different categories here?

COHEN: You know what? There's not a clear winner either.

Many studies have shown that different approaches are good for men when they are at different stages of the cancer. It depends how big the cancer is. And that's why it's so important to talk to your doctor, and maybe talk to more than just one doctor.

There have been other studies that show if you go to a surgeon, he's kind of likely to recommend surgery. If you go to a radiation oncologist, she might be kind of likely to recommend radiation.

So, this is a good example of a disease where you might want to see more than one person to get a big picture.

KEILAR: So obviously they are working towards having less side- effects, right?

COHEN: Right.

KEILAR: I mean, this is a disease that affects so many men.

COHEN: Right, exactly. And it is -- right, that is important. They are beginning to recognize more and more that even if you get rid of the cancer but you're living a life that's not so great, that's a problem.

KEILAR: Yes. Huge importance to many, many men in the United States. All right. Elizabeth Cohen, thanks so much.

COHEN: Thanks.

LEMON: On the campaign trail with Barack Obama.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We ready to go? Who is introducing me?

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "AC 360" (voice-over): In Charlotte, the crowd is bigger, and Senator Obama clearly feeds on their energy.

Everyone back there is kind of thinking you're writing out another speech or something.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: CNN's Anderson Cooper reports to the NEWSROOM.

KEILAR: Road rage in South Carolina. Who is behind the wheel? You'll be surprised.

Find out in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: A very sad story, a freak accident we want to tell you about, coming out of Florida. This is coming out of the Florida Keys. A Michigan woman died today after a ray, a spotted eagle ray, leapt out of the water and into the boat that she was in. It struck the woman. This was just a family, this woman, her husband, her kids, they were out on a boat off the shore of Marathon, Florida, when this ray jumped into the boat.

Now, at this point, investigators with Florida Fish and Wildlife say it's somewhat unclear exactly to tell how she died, whether it was from the result of this stingray impacting her head, a barb piercing her or if she just fell backward, hitting her head from being startled from this accident.

But investigators at this point with Florida Fish and Wildlife saying this is really a freakish accident. We are still awaiting more information from Florida Fish and Wildlife officials and we'll bring you that as soon as we get it.

LEMON: Barack Obama says he's shaken up a little bit by the uproar over his former pastor's racially charged sermon. Obama tells CNN's Anderson Cooper, it's reminded him of the odds he faces in winning the White House. He doesn't want to speculate whether the controversy damaged his campaign.

CNN's Anderson Cooper spent all day yesterday with Barack Obama and we pick up Anderson's journal as the campaign plane is about to land in Charlotte, North Carolina. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: The atmosphere is surprisingly loose, with music playing, personal photos taped to overhead luggage bins. When we land, we're not surprised to find Senator Obama working, but what he's working on does surprise us.

(on-camera): Everyone back there is kind of thinking you're writing out another speech or something and here you are doing an NCAA tournament bracket.

OBAMA: A little higher priority.

COOPER: How do you see this playing out? I mean, how long do you expect to be doing this?

OBAMA: You mean the campaign?

COOPER: Yes.

OBAMA: We know that the last contest that's scheduled is in early June. And, you know, I thought that actually Governor Bredesen of Tennessee had an interesting proposal, which was as soon as we finish with the last primary, the superdelegates should schedule to get together and whatever remaining ones are uncommitted, to go ahead and make a decision. That would probably be the best way to ensure that there's at least a couple of months before the convention.

COOPER: So, you don't see any knockout punch in terms of popular vote in the primary?

OBAMA: You know, I don't anticipate at this point. I mean, Senator Clinton has been very tenacious. You know, we feel very confident that we're going to have one more states. We'll have a higher portion of the popular vote and I think we're going to have more pledged delegates. But there's nothing in the rules that say she can't continue on as long as she wants to.

Ready to go? Who's introducing me?

COOPER (voice-over): In Charlotte, the crowd is bigger, and Senator Obama clearly feeds on their energy. The themes are familiar: change, Iraq, the economy. But perhaps the biggest applause he receives is when he mentions his speech on race. Afterwards, we speak with him backstage.

(on-camera): Earlier today, you said you weren't sure demographically how your speech yesterday is going to play. What is your gut telling you? I mean, out there, you were talking about it, it got a lot of applause. What's your gut telling, you know, more than 24 hours now later?

OBAMA: I mean, my gut tells me that the people who were not going to be voting for me are not going to be voting for me after this speech. And even if they think that I made some good points, there are other reasons why they're not going to vote for me. They think we should be staying in Iraq or they think that I haven't been in Washington long enough. I think the people who are supporting me are continuing to support me.

COOPER: At the end of a day like this, I mean, what do you do? How do you decompress?

OBAMA: Well, you know, I'm going to really have a relaxing evening going to a couple of fundraisers and then I fall asleep. Although, I try to watch "AC 360" at all times.

COOPER: Please, I don't need your sympathy. I don't need your pandering.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: That's a pretty funny line. OK, you can hear more from Obama tonight. He's a guest on "LARRY KING LIVE," 9:00 p.m. Eastern only here on CNN.

OK, some new information coming in now regarding Michigan. Remember a possible do-over there? Well, Florida said no. It appears -- it looks like at this moment, information just coming in, that the do-over in Michigan appears to be a no-no as well.

Here's the latest information according to the "Associated Press." It said the state Senate adjourned today without taking up a presidential primary bill, essentially ending Michigan's chances of holding a June 3rd do-over Democratic election. Now, while there is still a slim possibility of a last-minute deal that it could be reached, lawmakers, their lack of enthusiasm for a second election paid for by private donors meant that it was unlikely.

So, it looks like a do-over in Michigan, not going to happen and we know the one in Florida not going to happen. It's going to be very interesting to see how this shakes out.

Make sure you stay tuned. Our political roundtable in our 3:00 hour, we're going to touch on this subject and find out what happens next.

KEILAR: Leading our political ticker, John McCain in London, that is the latest stop on a whirlwind trip aboard by the presumptive GOP nominee for president. McCain met today with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. They talked about the war in Iraq, the world economy and also climate change. Tomorrow, McCain is visiting French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris. He and fellow senators Lindsey Graham and Joe Lieberman also visited Isreal and Iraq.

LEMON: Another blow for Republicans on Capitol Hill. Congressman Tom Reynolds of New York, well, he is retiring at the end of his term in November. He is the 29th Republican to announce his departure from the House since Democrats took control. Now speaking of which, Reynolds oversaw GOP election efforts in 2006 when Republicans lost both chambers.

KEILAR: Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen thinks he can prevent a potential nightmare for the Democratic party. Here's what he wants to do. He wants superdelegates to get together in June and choose sides. That way, the nomination fight would end well before the August convention. That's what Bredesen wants to see.

Now, with neither Clinton nor Obama expected to clinch the nomination with pledged delegates, the almost 800 superdelegates will certainly be critical.

LEMON: Five years of fighting in Iraq, so many American men and women whose voices are silenced forever, we'll talk to a woman keeping her marine brother's legacy alive.

And before we go to break, we were telling about that story in Florida -- come back to me, Scottie (ph) -- that story in Florida where that woman -- a stingray or an eagle ray jumped into her boat. What is the difference between a stingray and an eagle ray? And what are the chances of this happening? We're going to speak to someone from the Atlanta Zoo very shortly who's going to tell us about all of this information.

Back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: OK. This just in to the CNN NEWSROOM. It involves Michigan and a possible re-do there. We're -- it appears that that is not going to happen. Let me tell you why.

This is new information. The state Senate adjourned -- adjourned Thursday without taking up a presidential primary bill essentially ending Michigan's chances of holding a June 3 do-over of the Democratic election. There is still, we're told, still the slim possibility of a last-minute deal that it could be reached. But lawmakers -- their lack of enthusiasm in all of this for a second election paid for by private donors meant that the chances are unlikely.

We're going to continue to follow this story. We're going to have a 3:00 -- in our 3:00 hour, a roundtable here of political experts to talk to us about this and about the slim chance that it could happen. But, again, according to the "Associated Press," it looks like it is not going to happen.

KEILAR: John McKenna IV would have been turned 32 this week. Instead his grieving family has to remember their red-haired boy who grew to be a leader and died in combat in Iraq. We're now joined from Albany, New York, five years, plus one day after the start of the war in Iraq, by John McKenna's sister, Allyson.

Allyson, I know this must be so hard for you. Thanks so much for talking with us today, and sort of shedding light on what so many thousands of American military families are going through. Tell us what this anniversary means for you.

ALLYSON MCKENNA, JOHN MCKENNA'S SISTER: I think because it is the week of my brother's birthday, we've -- the family has really reflected on his life and all the happy memories that we've had. But also remembering that he was away, deployed overseas for so many of his birthdays and how difficult it is to miss him knowing that he was away on his birthday at the start of the war.

KEILAR: And every soldier who is serving in Iraq or who has given the greatest sacrifice is an individual, even though they're all there serving the same commitment. Just tell us a little bit about your brother.

MCKENNA: My brother wanted to be a marine, pursued it. He was very much a man of service. Certainly he served his country through the Marine Corps. He served his state as a New York state police officer.

He definitely was somebody who went above and beyond for other people. He was a great brother. But always gave of himself, and went over there giving of himself, and in the end made the final sacrifice.

KEILAR: So obviously an amazing sense of duty that he had, both here in the U.S. serving as an officer and also serving in the military. Now, he actually died last year, last August, while rushing to his fallen comrade's side. He was given the silver star for this act.

And you've actually said that your family, that you feel lucky in a way. Why is that?

MCKENNA: Not so much lucky, just grateful that we had the opportunity to talk with the guys that were there with him that day, to get a sense of what happened. I know a lot of families don't have that opportunity. And we've received a lot of support from the marines that were with him that day. And that has brought a lot of closure to our grief and it has helped us a lot through the process.

KEILAR: You're also doing something very special to keep his memory alive. Can you tell us about that?

MCKENNA: Certainly. We realized, after the shock of everything wore off, that we need to do a little something good out of our grief. So we've begun the Captain John McKenna, Michael -- Lance Corporal Michael Glover Foundation to help assist marines coming back from overseas, through the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund and also the New York State Trooper Foundation.

KEILAR: And how has that foundation helped you? Has it -- has it helped you take something obviously so negative, such a loss, and turn it into something positive?

MCKENNA: I think for us it's an opportunity to go and do the good things that my brother would have done if he had come home and an opportunity for us to help out those that do need the assistance as they come back from overseas deployments, that need the assistance either getting back to their lives, whether they've been injured or just re-establishing themselves back in the United States.

KEILAR: It's really -- Allyson, that's just really such an amazing effort. And before we let you go here, I just want to let you know that we're thinking of you and your family and the other thousands of families who are in similar situations, keeping you in our thoughts and prayers, especially as this anniversary comes around.

Thanks so much, Allyson McKenna, for being with us today.

MCKENNA: Thank you.

LEMON: Absolutely, one of our fallen heroes.

As we move on here, we want to talk about who is deploying scores of submarines to challenge the U.S. military. Guess who it is?

And just ahead, an exclusive report from our Homeland Security correspondent. CNN's Jeanne Meserve will tell us all about that.

And also, we've been talking about this stingray or eagle ray, what's the difference. What are the odds. And should you be worried? We're going to talk to the zoological operations vice president from the Georgia Aquarium, coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM. He's going to explain all of this to us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: You saw the shot there of that eagle ray. It's beautiful, let's be honest. But it can, sadly, be deadly. And we're going to talk now more about that, about the odds of this, about the odds of being on a boat or on the beach and all of a sudden, an eagle ray or a stingray jumps up and then you get hit by the barb or hit by the stingray.

Ray Davis, who is the Senior V.P. of Zoological Operations at the Georgia Aquarium, joins us now to tell us all about that.

That one was big, but they get even bigger than that.

RAY DAVIS, GEORGIA AQUARIUM: Well, the adults (INAUDIBLE) spotted eagle rays get eight feet across. They can weigh 300, 400 pounds. It was hard to tell from the deck of that boat, what that animal probably looked like it was around the four foot range. So probably 100 pounds or a little bit more.

LEMON: OK, man.

So we've all been either snorkeling or swimming or diving or whatever and you see these things and you just swim right around them, you don't think anything of it. What are the odds of this, of you being --

DAVIS: It really is remote. And considering the number of people that swim along the beach every year, enjoy boating every year, how often this really happens with the number of people that do this. So it's really very uncommon. And when we take a look at this, it's the natural behavior of this type of stingray to evade predators or just jump out of the water trying to evade...

LEMON: Yes.

DAVIS: ...anything.

LEMON: But you said it happens several times last year.

DAVIS: Well not several times. But it happened one other time last year in Florida.

LEMON: It happened several times recently, is that what you're telling me?

DAVIS: Yes, yes, yes, yes. And -- but it's just one of those things, too, we've got better news coverage, now.

LEMON: Yes. And so you hear more about it.

Hey, real quick, don't go anywhere because we're going to get someone on from Florida Wildlife and Fisheries, Jorge Pino, who we spoke to a little bit earlier here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Last time we spoke -- you spoke to our Brianna Keilar, you said you're getting new information on this. What do you have now as we're sitting here talking to Mr. Davis?

PINO: Well, we do know now that the victim in this case was on the forward portion of the vessel. And she collided -- the stingray came up from the front of the vessel and collided with her. She died as a result of the collision, unfortunately.

LEMON: OK. Hang on one second there, Mr. Pino.

So we're being told, Mr. Davis, that the victim was on the forward part of the vessel and died from the impact of the stingray, not necessarily from the barb.

And just real quickly, you've got a -- you've got a barb here. That's really sharp. Can we get this, Scottie? The picture -- there we go, hold it up. That's what the barb looks like. And this thing is -- is really sharp, and then once it goes in to come out --

DAVIS: It's very hard ...

LEMON: Yes. It's going to pull against --

DAVIS: to pull out.

LEMON: But that didn't happen in this case, but it has happened in several other cases.

DAVIS: It has. And a point being made here, too, is these animals are quite large. And the weight -- the sheer weight and that impact it appears now from this recent report is what actually caused her death.

The venom that coats this spine is quite potent, depending on where you're stabbed with it. When you get in close proximity to, like, the heart or corroded, it can be very dangerous. But in this case, from that report, it was just the sheer mass or weight of this animal impacting at that speed.

LEMON: And as you said, it can weigh several hundred pounds.

Hey, we're trying to figure out here, Mr. Pino, exactly how big the eagle ray in this incident -- how big is it, if you've seen it?

PINO: Yes, actually, we've seen -- I personally have not seen it. But I saw pictures of it. And the investigators are believing that it was anywhere between 75 and 80 pounds, with about a six-foot wingspan, which is --

LEMON: How many pounds again?

PINO: Seventy-five to 80 pounds.

LEMON: OK. And with a six-foot wingspan. Now, here's what I'm wondering. So, they're on this boat. Are they lounging on the boat or are they moving at the time?

PINO: They're actually moving. They were exiting a channel and they were going at about 25 miles an hour when the ray just actually popped up in front of the vessel. The operator, which was the father, had absolutely no -- not even a second to react. It was too late.

The -- it happened instantly. And the young lady fell backwards, or the woman fell backwards, and unfortunately died as a result of the collision.

LEMON: So she -- 25 miles an hour. Was she -- do you know if she was lounging on the deck of the boat, if she was standing?

PINO: No, I believe that she was standing or sitting in the forward part of the vessel.

LEMON: OK. We're being told, 25 miles an hour, they were exiting a channel. She was sitting in the forward part of the vessel and just jumped out of the water and had no time to react with this.

Either of you want to give some advice to people, and I don't know if there's anything you can say to them to prevent this from happening, because people are going to become concerned now. You said it's remote, but, still, the chances are there and I know if I'm on a boat in Florida or anywhere there's a stingray or an eagle ray, I'm definitely going to think about it.

DAVIS: And honestly, you're absolutely right. There really isn't that much that you can do to comfort people from those activities. This is something that is highly, highly unexpected.

LEMON: OK. Ray Davis.

Go ahead, Mr. Pino, I'll give you the last word.

PINO: Well, what I was going to say is that I've been on the waters all my life in south Florida, and I've never seen this happen. This is something that is extremely unusual. It doesn't happen very often at all. And there was absolutely nothing that they could have done differently. It just happened. And it's -- we're saddened that it occurred, but I don't think there's anything that they could have done any differently.

LEMON: Jorge Pino from the Florida Wildlife and Fisheries and also Ray Davis here from the Georgia aquarium. We appreciate it. Thank you very much.

DAVIS: Absolutely.

LEMON: Thanks to both of you -- Brianna?

KEILAR: Road rage in South Carolina. Who is behind the wheel in this video? That siren may tell you. We'll explain in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: A rare sight atop the erupting Kilauea Volcano, an explosion in one of the craters, something that actually hasn't happened since 1924. Scientists say it spewed small rocks over a lookout, a road, and also a trail. This happened yesterday before the park was opened. So, thankfully nobody was hurt.

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