Father of 4 killed after falling into manhole was months away from his wedding

FLOYD COUNTY, Ga. — An 8-year-old girl says her father was the best dad a girl could ever have.

Her father, Robert Hall, was killed while working on a plumbing job at a Rome high school on Wednesday.

Floyd County police officials told Channel 2 Action News that Hall was on working with a plumbing contractor at Armuchee High School when he slipped and fell into a maintenance hole.

Channel 2′s Tom Jones talked to Hall’s family on Thursday and learned that he and his fiancée had plans to get married in a few months.

His daughter, Leeannahh, said she loved the times they shared.

“He was the best,” she said. “He came home every day with a smile on his face.”

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Her father won’t be coming home again.

The 34-year-old plumber was on a ladder when he fell into the hole. Officers said he lost consciousness at the bottom and couldn’t be revived.

“It hurts so bad to know that he’s not with us anymore,” his sister, Kari Hall, said. “He loved his family. He loved his fiancee. He loved (her) with every bit of his soul.”

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Hall’s family wants to know how this could happen. They said they were told he was in the hole for 45 minutes before help arrived.

“It don’t make sense to me why it takes so long to get down there when you should have been prepared for anything like that. Doing a job like that,” Kari Hall said.

Hall said there is often methane gas in the sewer lines, which she thinks may have contributed to his death.

“You know that stuff is awful. It’ll kill you,” Hall said. “I feel like maybe that’s what got him.”

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Hall and his fiancée, Melina Rich, have four children. They were planning to get married in October. The invitations had already been sent out.

“They have already started their life together. They wanted to make it official,” sister Roby Hames said. “They’ve already paid caterers and venues.”

Instead of planning a wedding, his family is now planning a funeral. Hames aid she won’t forget her mother calling her and telling her about the incident.

“And she told me that he’s gone. I said, ‘Where did he go? I’ll go get him.’ I didn’t comprehend,” she said.

The family says Hall died doing what he loved.

“He loved the grime and dirt. Everything about it. Making something that’s not working workable again,” Hames said.

Hall’s family said he’d worked as as a plumber since he was a teenager.

“He’s done it since he was 15 when he started working,” Hall said. “And that’s all he’s done. He’s never worked another job.”

Floyd County School Superintendent Dr. Glenn White sent us a statement that said, in part:

“During this time, we have extended our deepest sympathies and condolences to the family. We also understand this is a difficult time for the company who lost this employee, and we would like to extend our thoughts to them and anyone else who knew and loved this individual.”

Hall’s manager says he was an amazing gentleman and they wished they could bring him back.

You can donate to the family’s GoFundMe HERE.

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