A coroner in Australia has ruled that a boy who died in 2021 would have likely survived if the snake bite he received had been medically treated. Instead, the boy’s father thought the 11-year-old had been drunk from alcohol he thought the pre-teen stole and was told to “sleep it off.”

Tristian Frahm had fallen from a ride-on lawn mower on Nov. 20, 2021. He and his family had come together with others to celebrate a birthday, Australia’s News.com reported.

The boy was dazed, had vomited and had complained of “pain in the belly” after the fall.

The coroner’s report stated that Kerrod Frahm and the other adults told him to “sleep it off,” thinking it was alcohol consumption that made him feel unwell, USA Today reported.

As the night went on, Tristian’s brother noticed that he was not well, but the adults were either asleep or still assumed it was the effects of alcohol, the Australian news outlet reported.

On Nov. 21, 2021, Tristian was found dead in the yard.

Kerrod Frahm had been charged with manslaughter, but the charge was dropped last year.

Last week, however, coroner Ainslie Kirkegaard determined that Tristian had died from a rare complication from a bite from a brown snake. He had a hemorrhage that only happens in about 3% of brown snake bites, according to News.com.

Kerrord Frahm and two other adults had checked for puncture wounds and didn’t see any, not knowing that snake bites may look like scratches. Tristian had two scratches on his ankle that were caused by a snake, a forensic pathologist said.

Tristian also had no alcohol in his system when he died, the coroner said, adding that his death was “potentially” preventable.

© 2025 Cox Media Group