Man suffers life-threatening snake bite on regional Queensland property near Toowomba
A man has suffered a life-threatening snake bite at a property in Queensland’s Darling Downs region.
The man in his 30s was bitten on the hands by a snake at a property at Highfields, north of Toowoomba on Tuesday night, Queensland Ambulance said.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Snake bites spike in Central Queensland.
Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Paramedics treated the man at the scene.
He was still fighting for life when they transported him to Toowoomba Hospital by ambulance at about 9.30pm.
The patient has now been discharged from hospital, Darling Downs Health told 7NEWS.com.au on Thursday.
The type of snake which left the man in critical condition remains unknown.
It comes amid a rise in snake bites across the state
The number of snake bites increased steadily leading into the summer months, with just 20 bites recorded nationally in July 2024, and 117 in December 2024.
There were a total of 1131 snake bites recorded in Queensland in 2024, with 61 bites reported within the first two weeks of 2025, data obtained by 7NEWS.com.au shows.
One of those bites killed 16-year-old Gladstone youth Beau Horen, whose family believes was not aware that he had been bitten.
Central Queensland has been the worst affected region in 2025, closely followed by Townsville.
Last year, it was the North (124) and South Metro (121) areas, Sunshine Coast (121), Wide Bay (115) and Central Queensland (112), which were the worst affected by snake bite incidents.
Cheney’s Reptile Relocations snake catcher Cheney Booth said he is most commonly called out to jobs in Queensland involving eastern brown snakes, a highly venomous species native to eastern and central Australia.
“They are extremely defensive, a very defensive snake, probably the most defensive in the world,” Booth said.
Queensland Ambulance Service spokesperson Joseph O’Connell said that speedy reaction times when seeking help is crucial to positive outcomes.
“We assume every bite is a venomous bite until proven otherwise ... We will always respond to snake bites as a priority,” he said.
Both Cheney and O’Connell advised Queenslanders to keep a first aid kit equipped with elastic pressure bandages, handy.
“Pressure bandages stop the blood flow, and help restrict a lot of movement, which is the main thing you’ve got to do after being bitten.”
Originally published on 7NEWS
