Overview

• The fatal accident inquiry determined that Wallace Hunter, 75, died in December 2019 from third-degree burns covering 83% of his body after becoming trapped in a scalding hot bathtub at the Pitlochry Hydro hotel.
• Health and Safety Executive evidence showed the bath’s 30-year-old mixer tap had a faulty thermostatic mixing valve that failed to cut off dangerously hot water when the cold supply was shut off.
• Rescue attempts were delayed because the inward-opening door was bolted from the inside and lacked an external-release mechanism to allow timely emergency access.
• Sheriff MacRitchie concluded the death could have been averted if the hotel had replaced the outdated taps, logged guest complaints properly and fitted bathroom doors with safety-release locks.
• The Hunter family and their legal team have called for industry-wide safety reforms and await implementation of the inquiry’s recommendations for mandatory tap checks and emergency-release door fittings.