Ben Williams
When young Tristian Frahm headed out to his dad’s rural property near Murgon, Queensland, it was supposed to be a carefree weekend of family time.
Within 24 hours, though, that weekend turned into an unimaginable tragedy.
The 11-year-old had been spending the day helping his dad, Kerrod, with chores on the bush block alongside two other boys.
The area was surrounded by thick scrub, the kind of place where brown snakes and red-bellied black snakes were known to appear. Still, the boys were riding the mower barefoot, laughing and having overall fun playing around.
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At about 3:30pm, Tristian and his stepbrother took said ride-on mower down to the creek for a swim.
When Tristian fell off, he told his stepbrother he thought he’d been bitten by a snake. But the other boy insisted it was just a stick, and the adults later couldn’t find any fang marks.
When Tristian came back to the camp, he looked pale and confused. He was slurring his words, swaying on his feet, and vomiting.
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According to the inquest document by the Coroners Court of Queensland (shared by 7News and People), witness Jacob Bryant recalled that someone suggested the boys had stolen alcohol from the esky.
Kerrod, believing it, reportedly told his son as per the inques: “If you’ve been sneaking my beers then go lay down you d***head.”
So, that’s exactly what Tristian did. He was washed off in the shower and told to ‘sleep it off.’ His condition only worsened overnight. He vomited several times, complained of severe stomach pain, and eventually collapsed outside the donga. His younger brother tried to wake their dad for help, but couldn’t.
By the next morning, Tristian was gone. He’d died sometime during the night, but not from alcohol: but from a deadly brown snake bite, which he’d actually suffered from after all.
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An inquest later confirmed that Tristian’s death was specifically the result of brown snake envenomation, a rare result of a snakebite (only about a 3% chance) that can cause internal bleeding and cardiac collapse - which is what happened in Tristian's case.
Coroner Ainslie Kirkegaard ruled the tragedy was ‘potentially’ preventable, finding that if Tristian had received early medical attention, he ‘would more likely than not have survived'.
The inquest also revealed that the family property had no phone reception, first aid kit, or internet, but it was only a ten-minute drive from Murgon Hospital. Experts said brown snake bites often leave no visible marks, and symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and dizziness can appear long before collapse.
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Dr Mark Little, a toxicologist and emergency physician, told the court that only about 20 percent of people bitten by snakes in Australia receive the correct first aid before reaching hospital.
On the matter, Coroner Kirkegaard also added: “People must take even the possibility of a snakebite seriously by immediately calling emergency services, applying a pressure bandage, and keeping the person still.”
Kirkegaard further explained: “It is only with the benefit of hindsight that the actions and inaction of the adults can be considered lacking,” but urged Australians to treat any potential snakebite as an emergency.
In the inquest document, she ended her report with a certainly haunting message: “Let this be Tristian’s legacy.”