Harry Evans coronial inquest hears 'he felt safe on the boat' prior to death
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A fishing trawler with a dying crew member on board was told to travel an hour in the wrong direction to the nearest medical help, an inquest has heard.
Harry Evans, 23, from Dorset in south-west England, died after he was bitten by a sea snake while working on prawn trawler The Ocean Explorer.
He is believed to be the second person ever to be killed by a sea snake bite in Australian waters.
A coronial inquest heard Mr Evans was bitten while folding a fishing net on the tray of the trawler about 8.20am on October 4, 2018.
Mr Evans was instructed by skipper Nicholas Huard to shower before first aid was administered around 10 minutes later.
Upon reflection, Mr Huard said he would have applied first aid immediately.
The court heard Mr Evans told his colleagues he "felt fine" after the bite, but his condition quickly deteriorated.
When emergency services were contacted, Mr Huard told the inquest there was confusion about where the trawler should go.
"I was instructed to head north to Groote (Eylandt), then I was instructed later on to head south to Bing Bong," the skipper told the inquest.
"Instructions weren't really clear until I said on the phone 'where am I going, Groote or Bing Bong?' and they said 'Bing Bong'.
"I travelled roughly an hour north in the wrong way."
A pathology report read to the court found regardless of which way the trawler had travelled initially, it would not have made a difference for Mr Evans.
"The only way to change the course is really by intubation … it was inevitable that he was going to die about when he did, no matter what was done," said counsel assisting, Kelvin Currie.
Witnesses told the inquest sea snakes were common on fishing trawlers, but deaths from bites were almost unheard-of.
"They're generally placid, they're not like a land snake. A sea snake, generally you pick it up by the tail and flick it over the side," said Robert Daly, who was an engineer on the Ocean Explorer.
"I was very surprised that he died — you don't hear of anyone dying. I've been bitten myself," he said.
The Darwin man was bitten by a sea snake at the beginning of what promised to be an excellent fishing trip — so rather than seek help, he continued fishing.
The inquest heard it was not mandatory for crew members to wear gloves when folding nets and it was common practice to pick up sea snakes by the tail if they were on the boat.
Royal Darwin Hospital infectious diseases physician Dr Bart Currie described the situation as "unprecedented".
"The average onset with a taipan … Is as long as four hours," he explained.
"With sea snakes, this is a much more rapid process than we're seeing with our most venomous snakes."
Mr Evans began showing symptoms of envenomation within an hour of being bitten.
The inquest also heard trawlers need a "better culture" around sea snake bites.
In an emotional statement to the coroner's court, Harry's mother, Sharon Evans, said her son was "the happiest he had been in his adult life" since travelling to Australia to work on the trawler.
"Harry was not reckless and would not have put himself at unnecessary risk at any time," Ms Evans wrote of the 23-year-old.
"Harry told me he felt safe on the boat, he said that Nick 'looked after them' and I wasn't to worry," she said.
He leaves behind not only his mother, but twin brother George.
The inquest heard Mr Evans's family is still trying to stay positive and hope that changes can be made to prevent anyone suffering as they have.
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