Australian boy dies from snakebite after father reportedly told him to ‘sleep it off’
An 11-year-old boy in Australia died from a brown snake bite after his father reportedly assumed he had consumed alcohol and told him to “sleep it off,” according to findings from the Coroners Court of Queensland.
Tristian Frahm was found dead on Nov. 21, 2021, at a family bush property in Murgon, roughly 160 miles northwest of Brisbane. An autopsy revealed that he died from “extensive internal bleeding” caused by envenomation from a brown snake. The report explained that the venom can trigger a rare, deadly condition called venom-induced consumption coagulopathy, which prevents the blood from clotting.
Tristian had been celebrating his stepbrother’s birthday at the property with his father, Kerrod Frahm, and two other children when he fell from a ride-on lawn mower. He told his stepbrother he thought he had been bitten by a snake, but only a stick was seen nearby, and the concern was dismissed. Shortly after, Tristian began “acting really different,” and his father had to lift him back onto the mower.
Despite checking him multiple times, adults failed to find snakebite marks and attributed his slurred speech, vomiting, and fatigue to alcohol, believing he had drunk three cans earlier in the day. As his condition worsened, no medical help was sought. Tristian was sent to sleep in a donga shed, with adults checking on him periodically through the night. Around 2 a.m., one adult said he seemed “perfectly fine,” but the next morning, he was found unresponsive under a sleeping bag outside the donga. Two faint marks consistent with a snakebite were later identified on his right ankle. Toxicology confirmed no alcohol was in his system.
The coroner’s report noted that Tristian’s death might have been prevented if medical care had been sought when he first reported a potential snakebite. It emphasized the importance of treating even a possible snakebite as an emergency—phoning 000, applying a pressure bandage, keeping the person still, and seeking urgent medical attention. The report also highlighted that symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and dazed behavior after an outdoor fall should prompt immediate care.
Tristian’s father was initially charged with manslaughter, but the charge was dropped in April 2024. Between 2001 and 2021, 47 venomous snake-related deaths were recorded in Australia, with 18 in Queensland, and brown snakes are the most common cause.
Tristian is remembered by his family as a “free spirit and a loving, caring soul with a deep love for animals and being in nature.”
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