A hardworking Australian father who died after being bitten by a brown snake while trying to remove the creature from a north Queensland daycare has been honored for his courage.
Paramedics were called to a house in Deeragun, Townsville, about 3pm on Tuesday after Jerromy Brookes, 47, suffered multiple bites to his left arm.
Mr Brookes – who suffered a cardiac arrest before paramedics arrived – was taken to hospital in a critical condition, where he later died.
It is understood Mr Brookes was removing the snake – believed to be an oriental brown – from a daycare after being called by a parent, Courier Mail reports. He was not a trained snake handler or remover.
The community is now coming together to support the father’s hard-working family.
“Hello everyone, let’s pay tribute to Jerromy Brooke who tragically died on Tuesday following a snake bite at a daycare in Deeragun, Townsville,” said Mark Archie Archer.
“In fact, this brave man may have saved children’s lives by removing this oriental brown color.”
“This man is our hero. Let’s help the family who just lost their hero. You can’t put a price on life, but let’s come together. 1000 of us, let’s come together.”
After being bitten, but before showing serious symptoms, Mr Brookes managed to drive home to tell his wife, with the snake still in a bag.
Jerromy Brookes is pictured with his wife Narelle
Queensland Ambulance Service Townsville District Acting Director Paula Marten said Mr Brookes’ wife desperately tried to save his life.
She performed CPR until paramedics arrived when he fell unconscious after trying to stem the flow of venom by bandaging his arm.
“She immediately immobilized the limb and applied pressure bandages, then the symptoms presented themselves and that’s when his wife contacted triple 0,” she said.
Ms Marten said Ms Brookes “absolutely” responded appropriately.
“If you are unfamiliar with snakes, treat them all as if they were venomous: contact triple-0 and follow basic first aid measures,” she said.
Mr Brookes was a father of three, grandfather and owner of a local aquarium maintenance business, who his neighbors described as a “lovely” man.
Mr Brookes was a father of three, grandfather and local business owner.
Mr Brookes died after a suspicious eastern brown snake bite on Tuesday (pictured).
A University of Melbourne study found that 23 of 35 snakebite deaths in Australia between 2000 and 2016 were caused by brown snakes.
Most people who die from snake bites in Australia are men and are bitten during the hottest months of the year, the study found.
The Eastern Brown is a medium-sized snake with a slim to moderate build and a rather small head.
They are known to prefer forests, scrubland and savannah grasslands and are common throughout eastern and south-eastern Australia.
Eastern brown snakes are most active in spring and fall.
