They only realized what had happened when it was too late…

Eleven-year-old Tristian Frahm was spending an ordinary day helping his father Kerrod with chores on their rural Queensland property near Murgon. The area, thick with scrub, was known for brown snakes and red-bellied black snakes—but the boys were barefoot on the mower, simply enjoying themselves.

Around 3:30 p.m., Tristian and his stepbrother took the ride-on mower down to a creek for a swim. Tristian fell off, and though he mentioned being bitten by a snake, his brother dismissed it as a stick. Later, adults found no visible fang marks.

**A Fatal Misunderstanding**

When Tristian returned to camp, he was pale, confused, slurring his words, and vomiting. Tragically, someone suggested he’d stolen beer from the cooler. His father, believing this, told him to “sleep it off.”

Throughout the night, Tristian’s condition worsened—severe stomach pain, repeated vomiting, and eventual collapse. His younger brother couldn’t wake their father. By morning, Tristian had died from brown snake envenomation, a rare but deadly complication causing internal bleeding and cardiac collapse.

**A Preventable Tragedy**

The coroner’s inquest revealed devastating facts: the property had no phone reception, first aid kit, or internet—yet was only ten minutes from Murgon Hospital. Coroner Ainslie Kirkegaard stated that with early medical attention, Tristian “would more likely than not have survived.”

Brown snake bites often leave no visible marks, making symptoms—nausea, vomiting, dizziness—critical warning signs. Shockingly, only 20% of Australian snakebite victims receive proper first aid before reaching hospitals.

**Tristian’s Legacy**

Coroner Kirkegaard’s message was clear: “People must take even the possibility of a snakebite seriously by immediately calling emergency services, applying a pressure bandage, and keeping the person still. Let this be Tristian’s legacy.”

This heartbreaking loss serves as a urgent reminder: always treat suspected snakebites as medical emergencies.