The family of a man who was scalded to death in a hotel bath has launched a scathing attack on management for ignoring “warning signs”. Wallace Hunter, 75, a retired precision engineer, was left with third-degree burns to 83% of his body after becoming trapped in the bath at the Pitlochry Hydro Hotel in Perthshire.
Mr Wallace had been staying at the hotel with his wife, Janice, in December 2019 when the incident happened, with the alarm only being raised after a guest in the bedroom below noticed hot water “cascading” down his walls. His wife and other guests attempted to gain entry to the bathroom, but their attempts were hindered by the door being locked from the inside. Mr Hunter was eventually found unresponsive and submerged in water so hot that firefighters and police officers were forced to wear protective gloves to tolerate the extreme temperature.
A Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) found a range of safety failings and missed opportunities to prevent the tragedy from occurring.
The inquiry heard how, prior to the accident, guests in multiple rooms had reported water being too hot.
In the room used by Mr and Mrs Hunter, two previous guests had raised concerns over the water being discharged from the bathroom taps, describing it as “iffy” and “too hot.”
However, no action was taken following these complaints, and they were not logged by maintenance staff.
An investigation later found that the bath’s thermostatic mixing valve (TMV) – which mixes cold and hot water to deliver a safe and consistent temperature was faulty.
In a joint statement, Mr Hunter’s son, Keir, and his daughter, Kimberley, said of the FAI determination: “The Sheriff’s judgement is the most difficult thing we have ever had to read.
“It describes in full detail our dad’s excruciating and drawn-out final moments, but also shines a light on the fact that his death could and would have been avoided had the hotel used qualified maintenance staff and had the most basic of maintenance regimes in place for its hot water supply.
“The fault which caused our fathers death had been complained about by many previous guests and was well known to the hotel management. They ignored these warnings.
“We are frankly appalled that this hotel was allowed to open its doors to the public in 21st-century Scotland.”
Glen Millar, a partner with Thompsons Solicitors Scotland who acts for the Hunter family, said: “I have been involved in some of Scotland’s highest profile fatal cases over the years, but I fail to recall any where a death has resulted from such a litany of avoidable failures.
“It is clear that what happened to Mr Hunter could have happened to any one of the many elderly guests who stayed at the hotel in the years leading up to this tragedy.”