An 11-year-old boy in rural Queensland, Australia died after a venomous snake bite went undetected and untreated—adult relatives mistakenly believed his symptoms were caused by alcohol and sent him to bed instead of seeking medical care.
The coroner’s performed an autopsy and found the fatal brown snake envenomation was likely survivable with prompt treatment, stressing the dangers of misdiagnosing snake bites and the importance of immediate medical attention.