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An Edinburgh Premier Inn hotel has paid compensation to the family of a woman who died after being scalded in one of its showers.
Indian woman Kalyani Uthaman, 59, was staying in the hotel while on a UK visit, and was severely scalded resulting in 25% burns to her body. She suffered multiple organ failure and died in hospital six weeks later.
Last year the family sued the hotel, asking for a £1.2m payout claiming a thermostatic valve should have been fitted in the shower. The hotel described the death as an “isolated incident”.
Uthaman’s son, Sundar said: “I feel vindicated in the sense that a settlement is an acknowledgement by Whitbread that they did wrong. I’m still angry at what they did and the fact it wasn’t until Thompsons Solicitors raised the court proceedings that they issued an apology.
Sundar said he felt disappointed that the settlement had “prevented the evidence being heard in court”, and added that he wanted the facts laid out publicly “to make sure such a tragedy never happens to anyone else”.
A spokesman for Premier Inn said: “We are very sorry for the tragic accident that occurred to Ms Uthaman in 2012 and our thoughts are with her family.
“We take millions of bookings every year and we would like to reassure our guests that this was an isolated incident.”
It added: “We constantly monitor and regulate the water temperature of our showers in line with industry best practice, which is based on Health and Safety Executive (HSE) regulatory guidance and NHS health care guidelines.”
