Retired precision engineer Wallace Hunter, 75, died after scalding hot water from a bath left him with third-degree burns that were found on about 83 per cent of his body
A beloved dad died after he got stuck in a scalding hot bath with his family now blasting management who they say ignored safety “warning signs.”
Retired precision engineer Wallace Hunter, 75, had been staying at Pitlochry Hydro hotel in Perthshire when he became trapped in a bath as his wife Janice packed their bags on the last day of their trip in December 2019.
But a guest in the bedroom below raised the alarm after seeing hot water “cascading” down his walls. His wife and several other guests tried to break down the door but they were delayed due to it being bolted from the inside. It comes after the best and worst GP surgeries across the UK were named – check your area.
READ MORE: Telltale walking symptom that could indicate dementia – how to spot
READ MORE: Girl, 3, found dead on popular Greece tourist beach by horrified passer-by
Mr Hunter, from Eaglesham in Rendrewshire, was later found unresponsive and submerged in scalding water that was so hot that firefighters and police needed to wear gloves to tolerate the temperatures. He died from third-degree burns that were found on about 83 per cent of his body.
A fatal accident inquiry identified a catalogue of avoidable safety failings and defects of working which could have prevented the tragedy from taking place. It was heard that in the weeks leading up to the accident, hotel staff received several complaints about the water being too hot in a number of rooms.
Mr and Mrs Hunter had been staying in the same room where two guests raised concerns over water being discharged from the bathroom taps as being “iffy” and “too hot.” But the complaints were neither signed off or logged by maintenance staff, meaning no further action was taken.
Upon investigation, it was found that the bath’s thermostatic mixing valve (TMV) which mixes cold and hot water to deliver a safe and consistent temperature, was faulty.
The FAI further heard that Mr Hunter, who suffered from dementia, would have struggled to use the excessively stiff and overly sensitive temperature control dial on the bath. Had the bathroom door lock in his room been accessible from the outside, efforts to save him would have had a better chance of success.
The probe set out a list of precautions the hotel could have taken to prevent Mr Hunter’s death, the Daily Record reported. They included having annual maintenance work completed on bath taps, a formal analysis of guest complaints and the fitting of bathroom door lock releases.
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 know to the 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.”
Glenn 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.”