‘Like it was happening all over again’: Swift Creek Reservoir drowning reopens old wounds for Chesterfield woman
VENN
CHESTERFIELD, Va. (WRIC) -- A recent drowning at Swift Creek Reservoir is bringing back painful memories for a Chesterfield County woman, who lost her brother in similar circumstances nearly 13 years ago.
Officers with the Chesterfield Police Department were called to Swift Creek Reservoir just before 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 13. After hours of searching, rescue crews found an 18-year-old man who had drowned in the creek.
"I just happened to be scrolling Facebook and saw the article and just read it, and I was just -- [I] immediately started crying," said Robyn Allen, who lost her brother to a similar drowning.
Her brother, Allen Brown, drowned at the Falling Creek Reservoir on July 18, 2012. He was 19 years old.
19-year-old Allen Brown, who drowned in Falling Creek Reservoir in 2012. (Photo: Robyn Allen)
“I would have loved to see the man that he would have grown to be,” she said. “He had just graduated high school and he would have started a construction job in the fall.”
However, Brown's life was cut short, much like that of the 18-year-old who drowned Saturday. Authorities have not yet released the man's identity or any other details surrounding the incident.
PHOTOS: Floodwaters surrounded Chesterfield apartment complex
However, Allen shared the details of what happened to her brother.
“[What] we were told was that it was a storm that came through, and the water got really rough,” Allen said. “They told us that he went under at 6:08, but they didn't find him til 6:48.”
Now, more than a decade later, Allen said this latest drowning feels hauntingly familiar.
Scene of a July 13 drowning at Swift Creek Reservoir. (Photo: 8News)
Scene of a July 13 drowning at Swift Creek Reservoir. (Photo: 8News)
“It's just really sad that it was the same body of water,” she said. “Like it was happening all over again."
Allen said she hopes her family’s story will serve as a warning to others, as her brother was a great swimmer.
Petersburg National Battlefield trails majorly damaged by flooding
"You never know what's under there," she said. "There may be stuff that sank to the bottom that you never know, it could hurt you or trap you. I think it's better to not even go into it."
Police continue to investigate Saturday's incident.
