Latest news with #KerrodFrahm
ABC News
3 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Inquest told Tristian Frahm likely would have survived snakebite if treated
The mother of an 11-year-old Queensland boy who died from a snakebite wants a full review of her son's case after medical experts told a coronial inquest he would have likely survived if he had been taken to a hospital for treatment. Tristian James Frahm, 11, died at a Murgon property, three hours north of Brisbane, on November 21, 2021. Coroner Ainslie Kirkegaard has spent two days in Toowoomba Coroners Court examining the events leading up to Tristian's death and the public awareness of snakebite symptoms and first aid treatments. Forensic pathologist Christopher Day, who performed Tristian's autopsy, told the inquest on Tuesday the cause of death was hypertension, brought on by snake envenomation, which led to blood pooling in his abdomen and cardiac arrest. Dr Day said there was no sign of alcohol in Tristian's blood, despite his father Kerrod Frahm previously telling the inquest he suspected his son may have been intoxicated after possibly taking bourbon cans from an esky. Dr Day said it was possible Tristian did not have an immediate and obvious reaction to the snake bite. "Children are reasonably resilient; they can look reasonably well until something catastrophic happens," he said. The inquest was told on Monday that Tristian was checked for a possible snakebite but there were no obvious signs, and that Mr Frahm said he was not aware of reports his son had been bitten. When asked whether there would have been clear signs of a snakebite, Dr Day said the two puncture marks from a brown snake "would have been present immediately". "The bruising around the [ankle] would not have been apparent immediately, it would have developed over the course of the envenomation," he said. But Mark Little, a Cairns Hospital emergency physician and toxicologist who appeared via video link, told the inquest that a snakebite was usually "insignificant or just a mark" and not always obvious. "Everyone thinks if you've bitten by a snakebite there will be two fang marks," Dr Little said. "We've seen people with no obvious mark or just scratch [and] if the person didn't say 'I got bitten' and pointed where that scratch is, you would think it's just a scratch. "There can also be no symptoms, it can only be a mark or scratch or nothing." Dr Little agreed when asked by counsel assisting the coroner, Sarah Ford, that it could be "plausible" nobody who checked Tristian for possible snakebites could have found anything. Dr Little said Tristian "should have survived" had he been taken to a hospital. "There are very rare cases of intra-abdominal bleeding due to envenom, but as long as it was recognised [in hospital], I would expect him to survive," he said. Associate Professor Katherine Isodardi, the director of clinical toxicology unit at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane, said while "it's not an absolute certain", she would also expect Tristian to have survived if he had reached medical treatment. "You don't usually die from an Australian snakebite, you usually die from sudden collapse and cardiac arrest," Dr Isodardi said. Outside of the court, Tristian's mother, Shanade Zaulich, said she hoped the inquest would provide her family with long-awaited answers after "four long and painful years". "As Tristian's maternal family, we continue to be haunted by basic and deeply troubling questions about the circumstances surrounding his death," Ms Zaulich said. She said she wanted the case to be fully reviewed "and properly investigated". "Four years is too long to wait for answers," she said. Mr Frahm had previously been charged with the manslaughter of Tristian. That charge was dropped by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in April last year. Mr Frahm's lawyer, Andrew Bale, said his client hoped through the inquest, everyone could find space to grieve. "He [Mr Frahm] knows with the benefit of hindsight, of course, he would have taken Tristian to the hospital," Mr Bale said. "Unfortunately none of the symptoms that Tristian was showing were actually clear evidence that he'd [been] bitten by a snake and no-one knew he had. "There was no sign he had [which] is why this is such a tragedy and with the benefit of hindsight, things would have been different."
ABC News
4 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Inquest hears father unaware of 11yo Murgon boy's fatal snakebite
A Queensland father has told a coronial inquest he was not aware his 11-year-old son had been bitten by a brown snake and did not think it was necessary to call emergency services in the hours before he died. Tristian James Frahm, 11, died on or about November 21, 2021, at a Murgon property, three hours north of Brisbane. A coronial inquest into Tristian's death began in Toowoomba on Monday. Coroner Ainslie Kirkegaard will examine the events leading up to Tristian's death and the public awareness of snakebite symptoms and first aid treatments. An autopsy found the boy died from brown snake venom in his system, likely from the snakebite found on his right ankle bone. The inquest heard the boy was discovered in a paddock after falling off a ride-on mower on the afternoon of November 20, 2021. Tristian's father, Kerrod James Frahm, told the inquest on Monday he went to bring his son back from the paddock, where he had found him sitting upright and conscious. Mr Frahm said his son had complained of a sore stomach and feeling sick, but told him nothing about being bitten by a snake. He said Tristian had vomited at least twice in the hours since the mower incident. Mr Frahm said he checked his son for any injuries after he first vomited but could not see any obvious marks, including a snakebite. "I did check him over for scuff marks and stuff," he said. "We were out cutting wood throughout that day, and he had a few scratch marks on his arms as well." Detective Senior Constable Benjamin Van Der Lugt led the investigation into Tristian's death. He told the inquest there was evidence gathered during the investigation that the boy had told someone he had been bitten by a snake. However, he said police were also told that Tristian had been joking about the snakebite. Mr Frahm told the inquest he understood Tristian had earlier in the day "snuck" three cans of bourbon from an esky on the property and likely drunk them. Counsel assisting the coroner Sarah Ford asked Mr Frahm whether he had assumed Tristian's stomach complaints were due to drinking alcohol, to which he agreed. "He just kept saying he had pain in the belly and wanted to lay down," Mr Frahm said. "If I needed to [get medical attention] I would have, I wasn't aware of the snakebite at the time." The inquest heard Mr Frahm had two friends, Jacob Bryant and Rochelle Dorman, staying at the property when his son died. Mr Bryant told the inquest he recalled Mr Frahm being present when it was first suggested Tristian had been bitten by a snake. "We all started searching his legs, myself, Rochelle and Kerrod to see if we could see any signs of a snakebite but there was no evidence," Mr Bryant said. "[We were] looking over his legs and feet for anything that was there, then that's where the conclusion [came from Tristian that he was] intoxicated." Later, Magistrate Kirkegaard asked Ms Dorman whether Mr Frahm was present while she and Mr Bryant checked for any signs of a snakebite. Ms Dorman said Mr Frahm was elsewhere at the time and agreed Mr Bryant's "memory could be distorted". Mr Frahm said he discovered Tristian's body between 7am and 8am on November 21. The inquest heard phone reception was poor at the property and a person would have to travel a few minutes before being able to make a call. Police originally charged Mr Frahm with manslaughter for failing to uphold his duty of care to his son, but the Director of Public Prosecution dropped the charge in April 2024. Tristian's maternal grandmother, Samantha Skerritt, told the inquest her grandson was a "truly remarkable soul". She said he was "wise and kind beyond his years" with a "heart so big it touched everyone around him". "He was our light, our joy, our everything and the love he gave will forever be held in our hearts," Ms Skerritt said. The coronial inquest continues.
News.com.au
27-05-2025
- News.com.au
Coroner to examine response to snakebite death of young boy, not child safety system
The circumstances surrounding the death of 11-year-old Tristian James Frahm will remain the central focus of a coronial inquest set to begin next month. However, in a hearing on May 12, the Coroners Court ruled that broader concerns raised by his maternal family about alleged systemic failures in Queensland's child protection system will not be investigated. Although the coroner has ruled that certain phone records from key witnesses will form part of the evidence, as they may shed light on the events surrounding Tristian's death. Tristian, who died in November 2021 after being bitten by a brown snake on a remote property near Murgon in Queensland's South Burnett region, had moved to the area in 2020 to live with his father, Kerrod Frahm, who was initially charged with his manslaughter – a charge later discontinued. Coroner Ainslie Kirkegaard said the maternal family had sought to expand the scope of the inquest to examine whether Child Safety failed to remove Tristian from his father's care 'before a serious incident occurred'. Tristian's father opposed the move. The maternal family had submitted that Tristian's death was foreseeable and pointed to previous incidents involving lack of supervision, unsafe conditions, and inadequate medical care. They argued these factors should be examined in light of systemic flaws in how Child Safety assesses risk and manages cross-jurisdictional concerns. But the Ms Kirkegaard concluded that while these concerns were serious, they were not causally proximate to Tristian's death. During a pre-inquest hearing in April, Counsel Assisting the Coroner Sarah Ford outlined the harrowing events of Tristian's final hours. Ms Ford said that on the afternoon of November 20, 2021, Mr Frahm and Tristian were at the property for a birthday gathering with Mr Frahm's friends, Rachelle Dorman and Jacob Bryant. Two other boys were also at the property. Ms Ford said on that afternoon, Tristian and another boy were riding a mower on a rural property when Tristian fell off and told the boy he had been bitten by a snake. The boy returned to the house for help, and Tristian's father, Mr Frahm, went to check on him. However, Mr Frahm reportedly believed his son may have been concussed or intoxicated rather than bitten, telling police that Tristian appeared 'a little dazed or concussed.' Despite various witness recollections, some stating Tristian mentioned a snake bite - others recalled he later said it was a stick, no immediate medical assistance was sought. 'Mr Bryant recalls that Tristian was barely able to stand and was trying to half talk but was slurring his words,' Ms Ford said. Instead, the adults reportedly assumed Tristian was drunk after being told he had 'stolen some beers' from Mr Frahm's Esky. He was told to 'sleep it off' and lay down in a donga, a temporary accommodation unit, before vomiting and later rejoining the group. By late that evening, the boy was in clear distress. Two other boys staying at the property said Tristian complained of stomach pain, vomited repeatedly, and at one point fell out of the donga door. The boys attempted to wake Mr Frahm, who was asleep on a couch, and later spoke with Mr Frahm's friend, Ms Dorman, who allegedly believed Tristian was simply 'grog sick.' She told the boy to give Tristian some water and 'lie him on his side'. The following morning, at about 7am, Mr Frahm reportedly found Tristian lying face down outside the donga, covered with a blanket. 'Unable to rouse Tristian, Mr Frahm realised he had passed away,' Ms Ford said. She told the court that Mr Frahm did not immediately call triple-0. Instead, he got into a car and drove toward town, phoning his mother on the way. She made the emergency call at 8.56am, almost two hours after Tristian was discovered. Paramedics arrived to find five patches of vomit within 20 metres of Tristian's body. Two marks on his right ankle were later confirmed to be snake bite puncture wounds. An autopsy determined the cause of death was brown snake envenomation. Ms Ford told the court an expert would testify that immediate medical attention could have likely prevented Tristian's death. Ms Kirkegaard said Tristian's upbringing was marked by instability, with periods spent living with both parents and extended relatives. Child Safety had previously been notified of concerns, including possible exposure to domestic violence and emotional harm. In May 2021, six months before Tristian's death, his father was involved in a physical assault that triggered renewed departmental involvement. However, by August that year, Child Safety determined that Tristian was not in need of protection, referring the family to intensive support services. Ms Kirkegaard acknowledged the complex and painful history between Tristian's parents, noting that both sides of Tristian's family had accused each other of 'domestic and family violence, substance misuse, excessive discipline, and child neglect'. She said a systemic child death review conducted after Tristian's death identified 'missed opportunities' for child safety officers to better understand the domestic and family violence risks. However, she noted the review did not find grounds to remove Tristian from his father's care. 'The snake bite tragically occurred in the context of a young boy who was enjoying his time with family on the property, doing something that made him happy,' Ms Kirkegaard said. 'It did not occur because of his father's domestically violent behaviours.' Reports from Child Safety, police and the Department of Education indicated none of the agencies had reason to suspect Tristian was at substantial risk. The coroner also pointed to the Department of Education's review, which described Tristian's love for his father, his protective relationship with his father's partner, and his strong school attendance. 'On the evidence before me, I consider the additional potential systemic issues proposed by the maternal family lack sufficient proximity and causal relevance,' Ms Kirkegaard said. Applying a 'common sense test', the coroner said she found no sufficient causal connection between alleged systemic failings and the specific event – the snake envenomation. However, Ms Kirkegaard did accept seven issues raised by Tristian's maternal family as relevant to the inquest, including that mobile phone data from Mr Frahm, Ms Dorman, and Mr Bryant should be added to the inquest brief. She dismissed objections from Tristian's father, who argued the records were irrelevant, finding instead that the communications could shed light on the actions of the adults present between November 20 and 21, 2021 – the period when Tristian was bitten by a snake and later died. At the beginning of the hearing, Ms Kirkegaard acknowledged the young boy at the centre of the inquest. She had earlier invited family members to share reflections so the court could better understand who Tristian was beyond the circumstances of his death. 'Tristian was an 11-year-old First Nations boy with striking blue eyes who felt a deep connection with animals and loved spending time in nature. He was full of energy and adventure,' Ms Kirkegaard said. 'A young boy who, according to the maternal family's Family Statement, was known for his deep connection to the earth, and his love of outdoor activities including riding bicycles and motorbikes.'
