A workplace safety investigation is underway at the children’s center where a father-of-three was tragically killed while trying to remove a brown snake.
Jerromy Brookes, 47, suffered multiple bites to his left arm at the Green Leaves Early Learning center in Townsville about 3pm on Tuesday and went into cardiac arrest before paramedics arrived.
He was taken to Townsville Hospital in a critical condition, where he later died.
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ) is now investigating the incident but cannot comment as the investigation is ongoing.
Mr Brookes has been honored for his bravery, but some people are questioning why he tried to remove the snake and at whose request. He was not a qualified snake handler or remover.
A workplace safety investigation is underway at a childcare center where an Australian father was killed while trying to remove a brown snake
The community is now coming together to support the hardworking father’s family.
“Hey everyone, let’s honor Jerromy Brooke who tragically died from a snakebite at a childcare center in Deeragun, Townsville on Tuesday,” said Mark Archie Archer.
‘Realistically, the brave man may have saved the lives of children by removing this oriental brown.
‘This man is our hero. Let’s help the family who just lost their hero. You can’t put a price tag on life, but let’s connect as one. 1000 of us, let us gather.”
After being bitten, but before he developed 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
Townsville District Queensland Ambulance Service acting director Paula Marten said Brookes’ wife desperately tried to save his life.
She performed CPR until paramedics arrived when he fell unconscious after trying to stop the flow of the poison by bandaging his arm.
“She immediately immobilized the limb and applied compression bandages, and that’s when the symptoms emerged and that’s when his wife contacted triple-0,” she said.
Ms Marten said Ms Brookes responded ‘absolutely’ appropriately.
“If you are not aware of snakes, treat them all as if they were poisonous – contact triple-0 and apply basic first aid measures,” she said.
Mr Brookes was a father of three, grandfather and owner of a local aquarium maintenance company, described by neighbors as a ‘nice’ man.
Mr Brookes was a father of three, grandfather and owner of a local business
Mr Brookes died on Tuesday after a suspected bite from an eastern brown snake (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 snakebites in Australia are men and are bitten in the warmer months of the year, the study found.
The eastern brown snake is a medium-sized snake with a slender to moderate build and a small head.
They are known to prefer woodlands, shrublands and savannah grasslands and are common in eastern and south-eastern Australia.
Eastern brown snakes are most active in the spring and fall.