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A coroner has found the Queensland man who died from a suspected snake bite after he helped remove the reptile from a friend's leg had no venom in his system.
Don "Donny" Morrison died after centenary celebrations at Koumala State School, south of Mackay, took a tragic turn on Saturday afternoon.
The 69-year-old had helped remove a snake – believed to be a brown snake – that was wrapped around the leg of his friend.
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Paramedics worked on Morrison for more than 30 minutes after he was reportedly bitten on the arm but he died at the scene after a cardiac arrest.
Morrison's family released a statement on Thursday after receiving the preliminary findings from the coroner that there was no snake venom in Morrison's system.
"This therefore rules out snakebite as a contributing factor or cause of death," the statement said.
"While the exact cause of his passing is still under investigation, it is believed that Donny may have had an underlying medical condition that he was unaware of."
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His family thanked emergency services and community members for their help on the tragic evening.
"These past few days have been exceptionally distressing for the family, and we kindly ask for privacy during this time to grieve our loss and bid farewell to Donny," the statement added.
