Latest news with #accidentPrevention
Yahoo
30-07-2025
- Yahoo
Pensioner's hotel scalding death could have been prevented
The death of a pensioner who was fatally scalded after being trapped in a Perthshire hotel room bath could have been avoided, an inquiry has ruled. Wallace Hunter died at the Pitlochry Hydro in 2019 after being trapped in the bath, while guests and emergency services tried to smash in the door. A fatal accident inquiry (FAI) found that the failure of safety components in the unmaintained bath tap caused Mr Hunter to accidentally discharge scalding water into the bath in which he was lying. The hotel is under new ownership following the collapse of Specialist Leisure Group in 2020. Mr Hunter's family said the judgement was "the most difficult thing we have ever had to read". His son Keir previously described the 90-minute effort to rescue his father as "a horror story." Efforts to help the 75-year-old from Eaglesham, East Renfrewshire, were hampered by the door opening outwards and being bolted from the inside. Sheriff John MacRitchie ruled that Mr Hunter's death could have been avoided if there had been annual maintenance of the bath tap and "a more formal analysis of guest complaints about the discharge of excessively hot water in the hotel bathrooms." The sheriff said: "These defects on the balance of probabilities contributed to the death and the accident resulting in the death of Mr Hunter. "It is reasonable to infer that the lack of, not just annual, but any maintenance of the tap and its components did in fact contribute to the death." The sheriff added that the fitting of a bathroom door lock release, operable from the bedroom, would have allowed emergency access to the bathroom to remove Mr Hunter from the water and could also have prevented his death. The inquiry heard that all bathrooms at the hotel with outward-opening doors have now had their locks removed completely. My dad died after being scalded in a hotel bath Inquiry into man's death after hotel bath scalding Mr Hunter was staying at the hotel with his wife Janice at the time of the incident in December 2019. He was found to have suffered third-degree burns to 83% of his body after fire crews finally managed to break down the door. The inquiry heard that a Health and Safety Executive investigation found that the mixer tap in the bathroom was more than 30 years old. Its temperature control was "very sensitive", and it did not satisfactorily isolate the hot water when the cold water shut off. The inquiry heard that a number of complaints about the controls, high temperatures, "boiling hot" showers or lack of cold water were recorded in the hotel maintenance log in the nine months leading up to Mr Hunter's death. In a joint statement issued by Thompsons Solicitors Scotland, Mr Hunter's son Keir and his daughter Kimberley said: ''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 father's death had been complained about by many previous guests and was well known to the the hotel management. "They ignored these warnings." Glen Millar, a partner with the legal firm, 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. "It is to be hoped that the judgement will now lead to swift settlement of the separate civil action the family have had to raise at the Court of Session in Edinburgh.''
South China Morning Post
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- South China Morning Post
Student tragedy spurs Malaysia to get tough on speeding lorries and buses: ‘important step'
Advertisement Malaysia's roads are among some of the world's most dangerous, with one person dying every two hours according to government statistics between March 2024 and March 2025. Lorries and buses routinely flout the speed limit of 90km/h, and high-speed collisions are common on the country's highways. On Friday, Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced that the government will mandate all heavy vehicles to be equipped with 'Speed Limitation Devices' in their engines, which will cap the vehicles' speed at a maximum of 90km/h. Malaysia's Transport Minister, Anthony Locke, announced that the government will require all heavy vehicles to be equipped with speed limitation devices. Photo: Handout Calling the move, which will be enforced from October 1, 'an important step', he said the safety feature will reduce 'the risk of road accidents involving lives and property.' Advertisement The requirement will apply to tour buses, express buses, and all vehicles transporting more than eight passengers, as well as commercial vehicles exceeding 3,500kg. The device must be installed, verified, and recertified at government-certified inspection centres every two years, as well as each time they renew their vehicle permit, all at the owners' expense.
Free Malaysia Today
29-05-2025
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
These speed cameras raise awareness, but do not issue tickets
This speed camera flashes motorists exceeding the speed limit without ticketing them. (WSDOT pic) PARIS : Since April, the US State of Washington has been testing a novel system of 'educational' speed cameras on some of its highways, namely Interstate 5 in Skagit County and Interstate 90 near Liberty Lake. What makes these speed cameras unique is that motorists who get flashed exceeding the speed limit are not ticketed. Instead, they receive a letter informing them of the offense they have committed and the potential cost of a fine they would have had to pay, ranging from US$135 to US$432. Moreover, these offenses are neither recorded nor passed on to insurance companies. The locations of these first two speed cameras were not chosen at random, but based on accident data, targeting areas where speed has already been a major factor in serious or fatal collisions. In just a few weeks, over 8,000 drivers have already received this type of warning letter. This pilot programme is being implemented by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). Its aim is to make drivers aware of the dangers of excessive speed and encourage safer behaviour on the roads. Indeed, speeding is often the cause of tragic accidents. In 2023, the state recorded 810 deaths on the roads, and there were 358 fatal or serious injury crashes where speeding was cited as a factor on state-run highways. The programme is due to run until the end of June 2025, at which point WSDOT will analyse the data collected and public feedback to decide whether it should be continued. At the same time, Washington State is increasing the number of speed cameras in active road construction work zones. Fines of up to US$248 for repeated violations are levied there, after an initial 'warning' incurring no charge.
