RIP Blake Bryant!....Palatka teen dies after 50-foot fall from tree in Middleburg By Derek Gilliam 7 comments » Latest by Mister Nice Guy 1 day 52 min ago Jamie Wilkes said she kissed 14-year-old Blake Bryant Tuesday morning on the cheek and hugged him goodbye as he left with her husband to earn a few bucks. “He was so proud to go out there and help him,” she said. Blake fell to his death Monday in Clay County after accidentally cutting his safety harness with a chain saw 50 feet above the ground, the Sheriff’s Office said. Florida state child labor laws say any person younger than 15 may not “operate any power-driven machinery other than office machines, including all power mowers and cutters.” Blake was working for John Wilkes Tree Service at a Middleburg home in the 4200 block of Scenic Drive when he climbed a tree to cut off part of it, the Sheriff’s Office said. The Putnam County teen was flown to UF Health Jacksonville and died there about 12:10 p.m. Detectives were told the teen was only helping on this project and doesn’t usually work for the company. Wilkes said her husband, a 20-year veteran of the business, has fallen in the past and broken his back and knows the dangers of the business. She said he wouldn’t let someone climb who didn’t have experience. She said Blake learned how to climb from his grandfather who operated a tree service company in the past. She said Blake had his own tree-climbing gear and safety harness. “This is just the worst thing that could ever happen. He hates himself,” she said. “You never mean for anything like that to happen.” Wilkes said they were trying to help out the teen who has had a difficult childhood. “Johnny was just trying to give him a few dollars to put in his pocket,” she said. Wilkes said her husband saw the boy cut his safety line and yelled up to him. “It was too late,” she said. The Sheriff’s Office said it notified the Occupational Health and Safety Administration and the Department of Labor. The Times-Union could not find a business license at the state Division of Corporations for John Wilkes Tree Service. Although Clay County had started school Tuesday, Putnam County doesn’t begin classes until Aug. 20. State law mandates that minors cannot work during school hours.
Posted on: Thu, 15 Aug 2013 18:09:19 +0000