Hardworking Australian father honored after dying of snakebite while taking him from childcare center: ‘Children’s lives saved’

A hardworking Australian father who died after being bitten by a brown snake while trying to remove the creature from a childcare center in north Queensland has been honored for his bravery.

Paramedics were called to a home in Deeragun, Townsville, about 3pm on Tuesday after Jerromy Brookes, 47, suffered multiple bites to his left arm.

Mr Brookes – who went into cardiac arrest before paramedics arrived – was taken to hospital in a critical condition, where he later died.

It is understood Mr Brookes removed the snake – believed to be an eastern brown snake – from a childcare center after being called there by a relative. reports Courier Post. He was not a qualified snake handler or remover.

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.

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.