Parents of 12-year-old killed in 2010 Coralville Lake crash sue boat drivers

Two years after 12-year-old Sarah Nicole “Nikki” Perkins was hit and killed by a boat on Coralville Lake over Memorial Day weekend, her parents have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the people involved.

Perkins, of Fairfield, was being pulled behind a boat on an inner tube at the lake about 7 p.m. May 30, 2010, according to the lawsuit filed this week in Johnson County District Court by her parents, Erika and Bill Perkins.

Janyce Gray was driving the boat, which she owned along with Robert Gray, when Nikki Perkins was thrown from the inner tube, according to the lawsuit. While still in the water, the lawsuit states, the girl was hit and killed by a boat being driven by James Zakorik.

Perkins had been at the lake that night to camp and boat with friends over the Memorial Day weekend, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The collision happened about 150 yards north of the Mehaffey Bridge.

According to the DNR, Zahorik had been operating his boat near the no wake zone just before the collision. As he was leaving the zone and increasing his speed, Gray's boat – towing Perkins – neared the zone.

Both boats turned left, according to the DNR, and Perkins fell into turbulent water and was hit.

The department announced a few days after the collision that it would not file charges against the drivers, explaining that several factors were involved in the collision.

But now, two years later, her parents have asked a jury to compensate them for damages, including loss of consortium with their daughter, according to the lawsuit.

Janyce and Robert Gray and James and Jennifer Zahorik are named as defendants in the lawsuit.

Erika and Bill Perkins accuse Janyce Gray and James Zahorik of operating their boats in a negligent or reckless manner, according to the lawsuit.