The urgent snake warning that every Australian needs to read - after hardworking dad died removing eastern brown snake from daycare centre

Experts are urgently warning Aussies to remain cautious around snakes after a much-loved dad died after being bitten in Queensland.

Jerromy Brookes, 47, was fatally bitten by an eastern brown snake while trying to remove it from a childcare centre in Townsville, at 3pm on Tuesday.

The father-of-three suffered multiple bites to his left arm and was rushed to Townsville Hospital in a critical condition but died shortly after due to cardiac arrest.

Mr Brookes has been honoured 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 bite from an eastern brown snake can kill an adult in less than 30 minutes and they are responsible for the highest number of snake-related fatalities in the country. 

Jerromy Brookes, 47, was fatally bitten by an eastern brown snake while trying to remove it from a childcare centre in Townsville, Queensland, at 3pm on Tuesday 

A bite from an eastern brown snake can kill an adult in less than 30 minutes and they are responsible for the highest number of snake fatalities in the country

After being bitten, but before he suffered serious symptoms, Mr Brookes managed to drive home to tell his wife, with the snake still in a bag. 

Queensland Ambulance Service acting director of the Townsville district, Paula Marten, said Mr Brookes' wife desperately tried save his life.

She performed CPR until paramedics arrived when he fell unconscious after she had tried to stem the flow of the venom by bandaging his arm.

'She immediately immobilised the limb and applied compression bandages, and then the symptoms presented and that's when his wife has contacted triple-0,' she said.

 Snake researcher and biologist from the University of Queensland Bryan Fry said that many bite victims do not know they are in danger until it is too late. 

'They're the only snakes in the world that regularly kill people in under 15 minutes,' Professor Fry told the ABC.

'Once symptoms kick in, it's like going off a cliff, it's very rapid and absolutely catastrophic.' 

As a result of this delay, some fail to promptly seek medical attention, only to suddenly collapse or experience a heart attack. 

Clinical toxicology researcher at the University of Newcastle Geoff Isbister added that most eastern brown snake deaths happen outside of hospital. 

The species has very small fangs and some people do not even have a visible bite, he said.

Other species like the tiger snakes, taipans, death adders and black snakes cause immediate nausea, vomiting, headaches and abdominal pain.

Eastern brown snakes also have an added level of danger because of how hard it is to spot them in the wild. 

A snake catcher from the Sunshine coast, Dan Rumsey, said the snakes are not always brown which causes many people to mistake them for other species.   

'Wrong identification leads to a lot of bites where people think they know what they're looking at, even the experts get it wrong sometimes,' he told the ABC.

They are often mistaken for tiger snakes because of their similar orange colours and brandings.

Snake researcher Bryan Fry said that the bite routinely kills victims within 15 minutes 

Snake bite triple-0 calls are increasing in Queensland and 986 were made in 2023

Queensland paramedics attended 986 snake bite related call-outs in 2023 which was up from 846 in 2022. 

Experts are looking at new ways of preventing and treating bites but Professor Fry said that there are limitations to what medicine can do. 

'The anti-venom for the adult brown snakes doesn't work against the very, very early babies,' he said. 

Anyone who sees a snake is always avoid it unless they are a trained professional but if the snake does manage to bite you it is best to remain calm.

Snakes only ever bite in self defence, Professor Fry said, and the best thing to do is stay away and call a snake catcher if one needs to be removed

READ MORE: Tributes roll in for hero dad who died from snake bite

Jerromy Brookes has been honoured for his bravery, but some people are questioning why he tried to remove the snake and at whose request