PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. – A Putnam County community is grieving over a 12-year-old boy killed when the three-wheeler he was driving flipped onto him.
Cade Beck died Monday evening when he lost control while trying to make a right turn, causing the ATV to flip where he was riding on a family member's farm off of East Bannerville Road, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
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Beck's father said his son loved to ride on his ATV in fields near his cousin's home.
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There are many ATV riders in Palatka, and although the vehicles can be dangerous, no one who knew Beck said they thought this would happen to him.
Students and teachers at Beasley Middle School, where Beck attended, comforted each other with hugs and encouraging words Tuesday. Although Beck only attended the school for a few months, he made a deep impact, his teachers said.
"He had his whole life in front of him," said Amy Getchell, one of Beck's teachers. "It just was unexpected."
"Cade was a wonderful young individual," Beck's teacher Varry Taylor said. "Cade was the life of the party. He'll truly be missed. ... This will take quite a bit of healing for this small community."
According to investigators, the family believes Beck crashed the Honda around 6:30 p.m. The call for help didn't come in until close to 7 p.m. after a family member found the boy. He was not wearing a helmet.
Beck's mother, Marissa Sapp, said her son almost always wore his helmet but just got in a hurry Monday evening and forgot to put it on.
"He's been riding dirt bikes, everything since he was 1, 2 years old," Sapp said. "He was just wanting to go this Saturday for the first time to a dirt bike thing. He loves dirt bikes. He loves ATVs."
Beck's cousin, Mark Robert, said Beck loved to smile and ride his ATV.
"He loved life and he died doing what he loved to do: riding four-wheelers," he said.
The crash was the second fatal ATV accident involving a child in Putnam County in just more than a year.
In April 2010, Joseph Hummel and his 7-year-old daughter flipped their ATV when they tried to avoid hitting an animal. Hummel's daughter Mercedes died from internal bleeding.
Just last month in St. Johns County, three teens were riding an ATV when one of the passengers, a 14-year-old, fell off and hit his head. That boy was flown to Shands Jacksonville Medical Center with life-threatening injuries.
According to the government website ATVSafety.gov, between 1982 and 2009 there were 447 ATV deaths reported in Florida. Of those, 105 were children younger than 16.
Florida law requires anyone younger than 16 driving an ATV has to wear a helmet and eye protection at all times.
An account has been set up to help Beck's family with funeral expenses. The account with First Coast Community Credit Union is called Cade Beck Benefit, account No. 10645930.