It said she went into the water. not why or how
1. possibly fell off due to panic.
2. gator could have upset the kayak
3. could have watched one too many Tarzan movies.
I used to take my Waverunner to Lone Cabbage Fish camp and go south to lake Poinsett and lake Winder. the portion of the st johns connecting them would have easily 40-50 gators up on the bank during mating season. Once we stopped to check on a friends gas cans he had bungee corded behind him. About 3 gators entered the water and the largest came to check on us. a quick burst from a 160hp jet pump discouraged him. No way would I be on a kayak in the freshwater lakes from Sanford south.
My sister and I got caught coming back to their house on lake Santa Fe in Melrose just south of Jax one evening. We were paddling their ganoe down the canal just after dark and a couple of big gators started grunting and we could hear the splashing of some hitting the water. We were never so glad to see the light on the end of their dock. We still joke about it.
No, the article is clear about the canoe running over the gator, which thrashed and flipped the boat, causing the woman to fall out.