Father Dies From Snakebite While Trying to Remove Venomous Snake From Childcare Center

The victim was bitten three times by the second most venomous snake in the world, the Eastern Brown Snake

A father died after ​​being bitten by a venomous snake trying to save a family member in Queensland, Australia, on Tuesday, reports ABC Australia, 9 News, and the Cairns Post.

Jerromy Brookes, 47, was bitten multiple times on his left arm by the venomous Eastern Brown Snake — which is known as the second most venomous snake in the world, per Billabong Sanctuary Townsville.

Brookes was called by a relative at the childcare center regarding the snake. Although Brookes was not a professional snake catcher, he went to capture the snake and was bitten three times.

He then drove back to his Deeragun home with the snake in his bag to tell his wife about the incident. His wife then tried to save his life by bandaging his arm and performing CPR once Brookes became unconscious, said the Queensland acting director of the Townsville district, Paula Marten, reports Cairns Post.

Then, around 3 p.m., paramedics were called to a home in Deeragun, Townsville, after Brookes was bitten, reports 9 News.

Before emergency responders arrived, Brookes went into cardiac arrest. He was then taken to Townsville University Hospital in critical condition, where he later died that evening, per ABC Australia.

“When you’re bitten by a snake and you’re not aware of snakes, treat them as if they are venomous,” Marten said, per the Cairns Post. “It’s really important that you stay calm and keep the person calm.” She also advised those who have been bitten to apply basic first aid and immobilize the bite with compression bandages, as well as contact authorities.

"The venom basically disrupts your clotting cascade at a ve -

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ry elevated rate, but while it's doing that it is also damaging blood vessels, impacting blood pressure, which can result in a collapse in some cases," said Timothy Jackson, an evolutionary toxicologist at Melbourne University Australian Venom Research Unit, per ABC Australia.

He said that a victim can suffer cardiovascular collapse within half an hour of a bite. Along with recommending immobilization, Jackson said victims should stay still. For victims bitten in remote locations, Jackson recommends attempting to keep heart rate low as well as applying first aid.

Additionally, professional snake catchers have warned against the dangers of attempting to capture and approach snakes.

Snake catcher Ben Avery explained that untrained and unlicensed people should not approach or disturb the Eastern Brown Snake, per 9 News. "Neurotoxic venom, they are going to start affecting your muscles, your heart, and every single organ,” explained Avery.

"Most of the lethal snake bites recorded in Australia have been from Eastern Browns," per the Billabong Sanctuary Townsville. "Most snake bites occur when someone is trying to kill or catch a snake."

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Brookes is the first Australian to die from a snake bite in 2024. Snake bites are common in the area, with the Queensland Ambulance reporting six snakebites on its X (formerly Twitter) account in the last 48 hours.

A representative for Queensland Ambulance did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for more information on Wednesday.

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