Inquiry opens into death of man who became trapped in scalding hotel bath

A preliminary hearing has been held into the death of a 75-year-old man who suffered scalding injuries after being unable to get out of a bath at the Pitlochry Hydro Hotel in Perthshire.

Wallace Hunter died on 1 December 2019 whilst a guest at the hotel. A Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) has been told he was unable to get out of the bath and efforts to help him were hampered by a bathroom door that opened outward and was bolted from the inside.

Procurator fiscal Andy Shanks, said: "The death of Wallace Hunter occurred in circumstances giving rise to significant public concern and as such a discretionary FAI will be held."

The inquiry will examine the cause of the discharge of scalding water, the hotel's health and safety arrangements and its response to the emergency.

The purpose of the inquiry is to determine cause of death, the circumstances in which his death occurred, and to establish if any reasonable precautions could have been taken, and could be implemented in the future, to minimise the risk of future deaths in similar circumstances.

FAIs are inquisitorial in nature and are used to establish facts rather than to apportion blame.

An initial preliminary hearing was held on 1 September, with a second scheduled for 27 October.

At the time of the death the hotel was owned by Specialist Leisure Group, which collapsed in 2020.