Son of grandfather who died after being trapped in a scalding hot bath describes ‘horror story’ of 90-minute bid to rescue the 75-year-old
Grandfather’s son who died after being trapped in a scalding hot bath describes the ‘horror story’ of a 90-minute attempt to save the 75-year-old
- Wallace Hunter was trapped in the bath of the Pitlochry Hydro Hotel in Perthshire
- Emergency services tried to save the 75-year-old, but could not reach the spot
The family of a grandfather who died in a fire accident has described the frantic effort to save him as a “horror story.”
Wallace Hunter, 75, from Eaglesham, East Renfrewshire, suffered catastrophic injuries after being trapped in a boiling hot bath at the Pitlochry Hydro Hotel in Perthshire.
Emergency services tried to smash the door to save him, but were hindered by it opening outwards and locking from the inside. Mr Hunter suffered third degree burns to 83 per cent of his body during the December 2019 incident.
His son Keir has launched a civil suit ahead of an investigation into a fatal accident next month.
He said the tragedy “is what we think about when we get up and go to bed” and that it was “unfathomable” that no criminal charges had been brought in the incident.
Son Keir (photo: right) has launched a civil suit after his father Wallace Hunter (photo: right), 75, of Eaglesham, East Renfrewshire, was trapped in a scalding hot bath
He told the BBC: ‘He spent time with his wife and explored Scotland. This is completely preventable and should not have happened.’
The company that owned the hotel has since been liquidated after going bankrupt in 2020.
Mr Hunter had worked as a precision engineer and studied at Stow College, Glasgow. He and his wife Janice had gone to the £160 a night hotel for a short break. The accident happened just before the couple was due to return home. Keir said his father had been conscious and talking at the start of the incident.
He said, “If they could have reached him quickly, there was no doubt he would still be here. The guests and then the police knocked fire extinguishers off the door, it was chaos. And that was on this side of the door.
“My family reflects on my father’s experience on the other side of the door, facing his fate and knowing that people were trying to get to him. The hour and a half turned into a horror story and the experience my father went through is hard to comprehend.’
He added: “The horror continued as emergency services attempted CPR. My mother witnessed the whole thing. In addition to losing her husband, this experience has also taken a huge toll on her.”
A preliminary hearing at the Alloa Sheriff Court for the FAI into Mr Hunter’s death was due to begin yesterday but was postponed to October 27.
The family has welcomed the FAI and never received an apology from the hotel operators.
Wallace suffered catastrophic injuries after being trapped in a scalding hot bath at the Pitlochry Hydro Hotel in Perthshire
They want to see an investigation into the hotel’s hot water system, door arrangement, hotel’s health and safety facilities and the response to the day.
The family is also seeking damages through a civil suit, claiming negligence on the part of the hotel’s former operators, Specialist Leisure Group.
Keir said, “Ultimately, I still struggle with the idea that no individual or organization has been held accountable.”
Keir and his legal team said they discovered online complaints about the hotel’s hot water system before his father’s death.
He said: ‘So here you have a hotel that accepts elderly and frail guests, while there are claims about the hot water.’
The family’s lawyer, Glen Millar of Thompsons Solicitors, said it was impossible to exaggerate the “tragedy and horror” of Mr Hunter’s death.