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Dad Thought His Son, 11, Was Drinking Alcohol And Told Him To “Sleep It Off” — Then He Passed Away
An 11-year-old Australian boy died of a snake bite after his father assumed he was under the influence of alcohol and told him to “sleep it off.”
Tristian James Frahm was found dead on November 21, 2021, at a property in Murgon, a rural town in the South Burnett region of Queensland.
An inquest into his death has now concluded that he likely could have been saved if he had received early medical intervention.
- An 11-year-old boy, Tristian Frahm, died from a rare brown snake bite after his father mistook his symptoms for alcohol intoxication.
- Tristian showed signs like vomiting and dizziness, but adults assumed he was drunk and did not seek medical help promptly.
- The boy’s death might have been prevented with early medical treatment; the hospital was just an eight-minute drive away.
- No initial snakebite marks were noticed and the symptoms were non-specific, causing adults to misinterpret the cause of his illness.
Tristian James Frahm died from a snake bite in 2021
Image credits: Auscape/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Tristian’s father, Kerrod Frahm, was charged with manslaughter in connection to his death, but the charge was discontinued in April 2024.
Coroner Angie Kirkegaard said in her report that Tristian spent most weekends at his father’s property with his brother and step-brother, which was surrounded by dense bushland.
On the weekend of his death, Tristian and his stepbrother rode a ride-on mower down to the creek on the property wearing shorts and no shoes.
Tristian fell off of the mower and told his stepbrother he had been bitten by a snake, but the other boy could only see a stick and believed this is what hurt Tristian.
Tristian became unwell, swaying side to side, appearing dazed, complaining of stomach pain, and vomiting.
Frahm later told police that he had checked Tristian’s body for evidence of a snake bite, such as a puncture mark, but could not find one.
Image credits: Queensland Police
He and two other adults at the property believed that the boys had stolen alcohol from an esky and attributed Tristian’s feeling unwell to being under the influence.
Tristian’s father told him to “sleep it off,” but he became more unwell over the following hours and during the night, vomiting and asking his brother to get an adult to help.
One of the adults told the brother to lie him down on his side and give him water before going back to sleep, while Frahm was sleeping and could not be woken.
Tristian’s brother found his body in the morning, and Frahm observed his body to be stiff and cold to the touch.
The inquest noted that it was likely Tristian had died sometime between 2:00 am and around 7:00 am.
Tests revealed that Tristian died from an extremely rare complication of brown snake envenomation.
The property was about an eight minute drive from the hospital
Image credits: Auscape/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
“Brown snake venom can cause a venom induced consumption coagulopathy (VICC) which can lead to profound anticoagulation meaning the blood cannot clot normally.
“Major haemorrhage is rare in snakebite, occurring only in 3% of brown snake envenomations,” the coroner’s report read.
When police arrived at the property, they found two marks on Tristian’s right ankle consistent with a snakebite.
Emergency physician Dr. Mark Little told the inquest that he “could see how the adults may have interpreted the suggestion Tristian had consumed alcohol as an explanation for not only his symptoms but also how he came off the mower and potentially banged his head.”
Associate Professor Katherine Isoardi also advised that “Tristian’s symptoms at that time were non-specific and could have indicated an illness or something other than a snakebite.”
Image credits: Google Maps
“Having regard to the experts’ advice about the non-specific nature of Tristian’s early symptoms in this context, it is understandable why the adults discounted and did not reassess the possibility of snakebite envenomation as the cause for his symptoms,” Kirkegaard wrote in her report.
“It is only with the benefit of hindsight that their actions and inaction can be considered lacking.”
Nonetheless, the inquest concluded that Tristian’s death may have been prevented if he had received early medical care and noted that the property was around an eight-minute drive to the Murgon Hospital.
Kirkegaard said that his death highlights the importance of promoting and reinforcing public awareness and understanding of snakebites, as well as the need for urgent medical attention, even if it is just the possibility of a snakebite.
“The onus rests with individuals to educate and protect themselves and those in their care. Let this be Tristian’s legacy,” she concluded.
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