Family of Flatrock drowning victim warning others to swim safely

Exactly one year ago, Big River took the life of 16-year-old Zachary Knee.

He was swimming with a friend at the popular Flatrock swimming hole when the current caught hold of him.

He went in not realizing that in the days after a heavy rain, the tide there gets stronger.

Neither he nor his family knew other people had died swimming in the area over the years.

"We have to live with that the rest of our lives," Zachary's stepmother Chantel Stagg said Wednesday.

"Because if he had had that knowledge, I don't think he would have went there."

Wasn't a risk-taker

His family heard the sirens that day but didn't think twice.

"You never, ever, ever think about it being someone you care about or know," said Stagg.

"It never crossed my mind in any way whatsoever that it was Zachary."

He had gone to the river on a whim for a walk with a friend but took a towel, just in case.

Big River isn't a designated swimming hole but it's a popular spot for people to jump in.

Other teens leap from high up on the rocks. But Zachary wasn't a risk-taker.

His family said he went into the water in the safest way possible, nervous of the rushing water.

He was such a good kid- Chantel Stagg, Zachary's stepmom

"He was such a good kid," his stepmom said.

"We never, ever, ever had to worry about him. He was really cautious. He was just like this old, wise soul."

She wishes she had known the danger. She had always meant to go down to the river and check it out. But she never got around to it.

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She thought that because everyone else was doing it, it had to be safe.

Now she's warning people that's not the case — Zachary died despite entering the water responsibly.

She wants people to keep living — to enjoy life and swimming outdoors —  but she wants people to do so fully aware of the areas they're diving into.

"If we can reach some people and help them become aware … because it can just happen so quick."