Two arrests have been made in connection with the hit-and-run that killed 18-year-old kayaker Ava Renee Moore on May 25, 2025. Moore was kayaking on Grapevine Lake in Texas over the holiday weekend when she was struck by two women on a personal watercraft (PWC).
Two arrests made in relation to hit-and-run resulting in kayaker death
The PWC passenger stayed at the scene while the driver fled in a car with a man, striking another vehicle while fleeing. Photos taken by an eyewitness of the suspected PWC driver were released by the Grapevine County Police and the woman was identified as Daikerlyn Alejandra Gonzalez Gonzalez. The male suspect arrested was identified as Maikel Coello Perozo.
Fox4 News reported Gonzales is being charged with second-degree felony manslaughter with a bond set to $500,000. The PWC passenger who stayed on scene and talked with investigators has not been taken into custody.
It is presently unknown if alcohol was involved or if the PWC was rented.
Fox4 News also reported that the arrest affidavit indicates the PWC was traveling at high speeds near swimmers when it struck Moore from behind. Moore was pulled from the water by bystanders and treated for severe head trauma by first responders before being transported to a local hospital; ultimately she did not survive.
Ava Renee Moore was a talented basketball player and was joining the U.S. Air Force Academy class of 2029.
“My heart breaks for Ava’s family and friends, and my prayers are with them as they face this tragedy,” said Texas Attorney General in a press release. “My office will continue to work with local, state, and national law enforcement partners to secure justice for Ava.”
How common are boat collisions with kayakers?
Boater strikes on kayakers are uncommon, but often result in serious injuries when they occur.
In August 2016, a group of 10 paddlers were on the Hudson River when struck by the NY Waterway ferry Jersey City injuring three people and highlighting the potential hazards of paddling busy waterways. A Coast Guard investigation found causes of the collision to be a lack of communication between the kayaks and ferry, and glare from the sun. Due to the glare the ferry captain relied on radar to ensure the path was clear; kayaks do not appear on radar. The guide shouted and waved his paddle while the ferry beared down on the group at speeds of 22 knots, but they were not seen. All survived the incident and a lawsuit was settled outside of court.
In August 2024, a father and son were run over by a motorboat while kayaking in southern Puget Sound. The pair shouted and waved their bright yellow paddles when they noticed the motorboat on course to hit them. The boat did not change course and the pair made the decision to dive into the water and under the kayak.
The kayak was pushed into the father’s back as the motor boat went over it, nearly completely severing the kayak into two pieces. Both father and son survived with no injuries. The driver of the motor boat did not stop, but was later arrested.
While it is undoubtedly the responsibility of the drivers of motorized boats to be aware of and avoid hazards in the water, including kayakers, there are steps paddlers can take to make themselves more visible to motorized boat traffic or signal to boaters if they find themselves facing impending collision.
A VHF radio can be used to alert commercial traffic of your presence and call for help in an emergency, an air horn can be used to signal all boaters. Additionally, brightly colored equipment and displaying proper lighting if paddling at night can make paddlers more visible to motorized boaters.
However, even when paddlers take all the right precautions, it only works if everyone else is doing their part too. The best safety precautions can’t overcome the most reckless of boaters.
Another key factor is whether there are proper regulations in place to control boat speeds, types of boats allowed, and boating activities not permitted. This is particularly important in high traffic areas, especially in urban waterways. For example, Vancouver, BC; Victoria, BC; and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan have Vessel Operation Restriction regulations established by local governed with the Department of Transport. These regulations dictate where different kinds of business are allowed, speed limits, and even where floatplanes can take off and land safely. In San Diego, Mission Bay has established sectors for different kinds of boating and speed limits. One of the worst shared waterways in North America is in Canada’s capital, Ottawa, where there is a high concentration of all kinds of boaters (rowers, paddlers, sail boaters, paddle boarders, pwcs, cruise boats, water taxis, speedboats, wake boarding boats, cabin cruisers, motorized surfboards), floatplanes, and swimmers. That is because there are two diffrerent cities that cannot coordinate anything, even policing, for the Ottawa River and Gatineau River. Transport Canada has also failed in its capacity to make our waters safe. Imdigenous people who have paddled here for nearly 8,000 years based on archaeological evidence, so not feel safe enough to run paddling programs. The police claim they can do little to control the situation because of government incompetence implementing proper regulations, so it remains a mess. Even the boating clubs, the Ottawa New Edinburgh Club and Ottawa Rowing Club cannot coordinate a request to the cities, because they are run by volunteers without the capacity to lobby government properly. If Transport Canada were doing its job, they would impose a national regulation to at least protect a buffer zone around all paddling, rowing and sailing clubs to safeguard waterways for existing recreational non-motorized boating. Why doesn’t your magazine do a story on that?