FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Tiffany Graham considers herself a “daddy’s girl.” She said her father, Colin Graham, was easy to love. She described him as “very hardworking, loving, caring” — and just an all-around “great dad.”

On Friday, she was trying to understand how her father died. He was working on landscaping outside of a home along Northeast 24th Street, between Middle River and Bayview drives in Fort Lauderdale.

“It’s something I didn’t imagine,” Tiffanny Graham said.

Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Stephen Gollan said Graham’s tree trimming pole hit a live wire. He was standing on the ladder when the electric current passed through his body, Gollan said.

Tree-trimmer electrocuted working at Fort Lauderdale home
Tree-trimmer electrocuted working at Fort Lauderdale home

“I was told he had all the right equipment on, the gloves, the hats,”
Tiffany Graham said.

No one was inside the home. He was working with two other people, but they were not together, so they didn’t notice Graham had been electrocuted. Neighbors saw Graham and called 911.

Fort Lauderdale authorities were investigating his death.

How to prevent electric shock while doing landscaping work:

  • Make sure that all power tools are grounded or double insulated. This means there is an extra barrier between you and the electricity.
  • A knowledgeable person should assess each worksite for safety hazards and design a work plan that addresses those hazards.
  • The employer should conduct a job briefing, based on the work plan, before starting work.
  • The employer should establish a written safety and health policy.
  • Employers should notify the utility company when work is planned in an area near overhead power lines.
  • Employers and employees should become familiar with available resources on safety standards and safe work practices.

Source: Princeton University. Environmental Health and Safety, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health