An 11-year-old boy who died from a snakebite on a rural property could have been saved, a coroner has found.
Tristian James Frahm was found face down in the yard of his family’s property near Murgon, about 660km north-west of Brisbane, on November 21, 2021.
The 11-year-old began showing general symptoms of a snake bite the previous day when he was found in the paddock after falling off a ride-on mower.
Tristian complained of having ‘pain in the belly’ but his father, Kerrod Frahm, believed his son had ‘snuck’ three cans of bourbon from the esky, which made him feel ill.
Police initially charged Mr Frahm with manslaughter for failing to uphold his duty of care to his son.
However, the Director of Public Prosecutions dropped the charge in April 2024.
A coronial inquest into Tristian’s death was launched earlier this year at Toowoomba Coroners Court.
The court heard Mr Frahm had checked his son for snakebites, but there were no obvious signs the Tristian had been bitten.
Tristian James Frahm, 11, was found face down in the paddock of his family’s property in Murgon on November 21, 2022
Despite displaying symptoms of ‘significant pain’ and vomiting over several hours, Mr Frahm advised his son to lie down and ‘sleep it off’.
Forensic pathologist Dr Christopher Day, who performed Tristian’s autopsy, told the court there were no signs of alcohol in his blood.
In handing down her findings, Coroner Ainslie Kirkegaard ruled Tristian had died from a rare complication of brown snake venom.
Ms Kirkegaard explained the major haemorrhage which killed Tristian happens in only three per cent of people exposed to brown snake venom.
She added Tristian did not receive proper medical care while in the care of his dad and claimed the boy’s death was ‘potentially’ preventable if he was given early medical attention.
In her findings, Ms Kirkegaard stressed Australians must take even the slightest possibility of a snakebite very seriously.
She said that even in the absence of bite marks or symptoms, people should immediately call emergency services, apply a pressure bandage and keep the person still.
Cairns Hospital emergency physician and toxicologist Mark Little told the inquest public knowledge about the correct first aid response to snakebites needed to improve.
Tristian complained of having ‘pain in the belly’ but his father, Kerrod Frahm (centre), believed his son had ‘snuck’ three cans of bourbon from the esky, which made him feel ill
Dr Little cited a study, conducted in Darwin, which found only 20 per cent of people bitten by a snake had received appropriate first aid prior to hospital treatment.
Ms Kirkegaard said it was understandable that the adults had dismissed the idea of Tristian being bitten by a snake due to the non-specific nature of his early symptoms.
She added that it was only with hindsight that the actions and inactions of the adults present during Tristian’s symptoms could be considered insufficient.
It was because of this, the coroner did not make any referrals to the Director of Public Prosecutions regarding Tristian’s death.
