TREASURE ISLAND, Fla.—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, was swimming Thursday near Treasure Island, a beach community west of St. Petersburg, when she felt something hit her face.
The bird’s large beak ripped through her cheek, requiring 25 stitches.
The 50-year-old housecleaner, who vacations in Florida about twice a year, returned home Friday.