30-07-2025
Grandfather, 75, who died after becoming trapped in a scalding hot hotel room bath may have lived if old taps had been replaced, inquiry finds
A grandfather who died after getting trapped in a scalding hot hotel room bath may have lived had the old taps been replaced, an inquiry has found.
Wallace Hunter, 75, was staying at the Pitlochry Hydro in Perthshire, Scotland when he became stuck in the tub.
Guests and emergency services desperately tried to smash in the door but were unable to open it in time as it was bolted from the inside and opened outwards.
The pensioner was eventually found lying unresponsive in the bath with water running that was so hot firefighters and police had to wear gloves to get him out.
He died from third degree burns to 83 per cent of his body.
Now Sheriff John MacRitchie has told a fatal accident inquiry at Alloa Sheriff Court that Mr Hunter's death in December 2019 could have been avoided had the annual tap checks been carried out.
He added that a 'full analysis' should have been conducted by the hotel after other guests complained about the water temperature.
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found the mixer tap was more than 30 years old, the probe heard.
Its temperature control was 'very sensitive' and did not satisfactorily isolate the hot water when the cold water shut off.
In a written judgment, Sheriff MacRitchie said: 'At the time when it was first realised that Mr Hunter was having difficulty in operating the tap, he was conscious and able to describe to Mrs Hunter that he was having these difficulties.
'He was still conscious and making sounds after Ms Cespedes had come from reception and gone up to the second floor and into Room 211.
'In those circumstances, there remains a real and lively possibility that Mr Hunter had not, by the time his difficulties in shutting off the tap had become known to Mrs Hunter, reached the stage yet of his having been subjected to the excessive water temperatures that resulted in his being fatally scalded.
'It is correct to state that it is not possible to definitively state whether earlier rescue would have resulted in Mr Hunter's survival.
'However, because it is known that Mr Hunter remained conscious for a significant period of time without any indication that he was being scalded, after he stated that he was having difficulty turning off the tap, there remains the real and lively possibility that had Mrs Hunter or others been able to enter the bathroom and assist Mr Hunter from the bath and/or turn off the tap at an earlier time Mr Hunter may have survived.'
The sheriff added: 'The lessons learned from the death of Mr Hunter should now be utilised to prevent such events from happening again elsewhere, and the findings of this inquiry should alert all hotels or other establishments to recognise the real potential for such a fatal scalding to take place, and to analyse relative risk accordingly.'
He also concluded that Mr Hunter's death could have been prevented by doors which opened from the outside.
The sheriff said: 'The lessons learned from the death of Mr Hunter should now be utilised to prevent such events from happening again elsewhere, and the findings of this inquiry should alert all hotels or other establishments to recognise the real potential for such a fatal scalding to take place, and to analyse relative risk accordingly.'
The inquiry heard Mr Hunter, who had a mild cognitive impairment, was very independent but suffered a lack of confidence around technology.
It's not known why he became trapped in the bath, as scalding water gushed from the tap but he had been able to communicate with his wife.
A guest in the bedroom below spotted water pouring down their bathroom mirror and contacted reception.
The former manager of the Pitlochry Hydro hotel told the inquiry that replacement locks with a safety release would have only cost an estimated £80 a room.
The Daily Mail has approached Pitlochry Hydro for comment.
