Major update in case of young boy, 11, who died from a horrific snakebite after his dad sent him to bed because he thought he had been drinking

The death of an 11-year-old boy bitten by a snake on a rural property could have been prevented, a coroner has found.

Tristian James Frahm was found face down in the garden of his family’s property near Murgon, approximately 660 km northwest of Brisbane, on 21 November 2021.

The 11-year-old boy started showing the usual signs of a snake bite when he was found in the paddock the day before after falling off the lawn mower.

Tristian was complaining of a ‘stomach ache’ but his father Kerrod Frahm believed his son had ‘sneaked’ three cans of bourbon from the esky which was making him feel ill.

The police initially charged Mr. Frahm with manslaughter for failing to fulfill his duty of care to his son.

However, the Director of Public Prosecutions dropped the charge in April 2024.

The criminal investigation into Tristian’s death was launched at Toowoomba Coroner’s Court earlier this year.

The court heard Mr Frahm checked his son for snake bites but there were no obvious signs that Tristian had been bitten.

Despite showing signs of ‘serious pain’ and vomiting for several hours, Mr Frahm advised his son to lie down and ‘go to sleep’.

The forensic pathologist who performed Tristian’s autopsy, Dr. Christopher Day told the court there was no trace of alcohol in the young boy’s blood.

Citing his findings, Coroner Ainslie Kirkegaard ruled that Tristian died from a rare complication caused by brown snake venom.

Ms Kirkegaard explained that the massive bleeding that killed Tristian occurred in only three per cent of people exposed to brown snake venom.

He added that Tristian failed to receive the necessary medical attention while in his father’s care, and claimed the boy’s death was ‘potentially’ preventable if early medical intervention had been given.

In her findings, Ms Kirkegaard stressed that Australians should take even the slightest possibility of a snake bite seriously.

Even if there are no bite marks or symptoms, people should call emergency services immediately, apply a pressure bandage and keep the person immobile, he said.

Cairns Hospital emergency physician and toxicologist Mark Little told the inquest the public was aware of the need to improve proper first aid response to snake bites.

Tristian was complaining of ‘stomach pain’ but his father Kerrod Frahm (left) believed his son had ‘sneaked’ three cans of bourbon from the Esky, making him feel sick.

Dr Little cited a study carried out in Darwin which found that only 20 per cent of people bitten by a snake received appropriate first aid before hospital treatment.

Ms Kirkegaard said it was understandable that adults discounted the idea that Tristian had been bitten by a snake due to the non-specific nature of his early symptoms.

He added that the adults’ actions and inactions during Tristian’s symptoms could only be deemed inadequate in hindsight.

The coroner therefore made no guidance to the Director of Public Prosecutions regarding Tristian’s death.