Family sues over 2010 boating death of Fairfield girl

IOWA CITY (AP) ? The family of a Fairfield girl who died in a 2010 boating accident on Coralville Lake over Memorial Day weekend has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against four people involved in the incident.

Sarah Nicole ?Niki? Perkins, 12, was thrown from an inner tube being towed by a boat and hit by another boat, according to the lawsuit filed Tuesday in Johnson County District Court. The girl suffered fatal injuries.

The girl?s parents Bill and Erika Perkins claim the owners and operators of the boats were negligent. The filing seeks unspecified monetary compensation.

The boat towing the Fairfield Middle School seventh-grade student was owned by Robert Gray and operated by his wife Janyce. The other boat was driven by James Zahorik. All three, plus Zahorik?s wife Jennifer, are named in the lawsuit.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the Johnson County Attorney?s Office investigated the incident, but no charges were filed.

Authorities said several factors contributed to the girl?s death. The DNR said Zahorik?s boat was speeding up as it exited a no-wake zone and Gray?s boat was nearing the zone. Both boats turned left, sending Perkins into the turbulent water, where she was hit.