LAKE NORMAN OF CATAWBA, N.C. — The days before the Fourth of July, Ajonet Austin takes a walk with grief.
"It sucks because this would have been his senior year of summer," Austin said.
Her son Keith Austin drowned in Lake Norman last year. She said he had dreams of being a dentist and playing rugby.
"He was a good kid," she said.
She said though her body still breathing, her heart is suffering.
"I'm going to be OK because I got this," Austin said.
As many return to the water during this holiday weekend, officers from North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission are preparing for a busy time. Last year, the agency made 40 boating under the influence arrests and issued over 1,000 citations and warnings for safety violations during Independence Day weekend.
"The most important thing would be to utilize lifejackets, if you go down three to four feet and in one of the lakes, you disappear," Charles Ibach with Charlotte Power Squadron said.
Ibach said it's also important to have an engine cutoff switch in case someone falls off the boat.
"There was was a time when a man had not been using his engine cut off switch, so when he fell overboard the boat continued to run and they've never found him," Ibach said.
For Austin, incidents like these leave behind permanent wounds, which ache the most the days before the Fourth of July.
"You have to be safe in the water," Austin said.
Officials say for anyone who plans on operating a boat this holiday weekend, they’re encouraging them to take a boaters safety course for extra caution.
Contact Tradesha Woodard at twoodard1@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
If your loved one was impacted by this incident, WCNC Charlotte hopes to make this process less painful with our More Than A Number initiative. With your help, we want to share who your loved one was with our viewers in North Carolina and South Carolina. When you're ready, fill out the form below or send us photos, memories and other details about them to desk@wcnc.com.