Tapping motorbike crash: Heartbroken friends and family rally around orphaned Perth boy after Lynette Reader and Paul Pearce tragically died

EXCLUSIVE:

New details have emerged about a couple who tragically died in a motorcycle accident minutes from home as their grieving family gathered around their young orphaned son.

Lynette Reader, 35, and Paul Pearce, 39, were on a motorcycle that collided with a Toyota Aurion as they drove over a ridge in the Perth suburb of Tapping on Sunday evening.

Mr Pearce was killed at the scene while his partner died en route to hospital.

Relatives told Daily Mail Australia the couple were not far from home when tragedy struck.

Their six-year-old son Jaxxon is now being cared for by Mrs Reader’s father and stepmother.

The couple were childhood sweethearts who started dating when they were 13 and dated on and off throughout their teenage years before realizing ‘they were meant to be’ and moving to Perth together more than a decade ago.

Shattered loved ones have vowed to ensure Jaxxon gets all the love and support he needs as he plans his parents’ funerals and shares photos of the happy family.

“We are all devastated to have lost them both,” Alana Gould said.

‘We got the call around 2.30am that there had been an accident and that Lynette and Paul had died. We were so shocked we couldn’t sleep anymore.’

She paid tribute to her fiancé Will’s aunt and uncle, who she first met while living in Perth last year.

“Lynette was the nicest person ever, very loving and giving,” she said.

‘I was going through a divorce at the time and she was so helpful and always willing to listen. She was a great person to be around.”

‘Paul was very cheeky, he worked hard to support his family and loved his bicycle.’

She added ‘Netty’ and Mr Pearce doted on Jaxxon, who will now grow up without his parents.

“They adored him, he was so spoiled by them,” Mrs Gould said.

‘Jaxxon has his good and bad days.

‘He understands that his parents are no longer there. There are moments when he bursts into tears and screams his heart out.’

‘His grandmother and father are determined to raise him and give him all the love he deserves.

‘He has his friends and school in Perth, where Nan and Dad are absolutely determined to do their best to look after him.’

Ms Gould and her fiancé have also pledged to help Jaxxon and his grandparents as much as possible, despite now living in Queensland.

Mrs Gould has set up a fundraising campaign to support the couple’s families, which has already raised more than $2,000.

‘They left behind their son Jaxxon, whom they loved dearly. Nan & Pop have taken Jaxxon under their wing and will care for him until he is old enough,” the page said.

‘With not just one but two funerals to be organised, we would like to relieve Lynette and Paul’s family of any financial needs that may arise at this difficult time.’

“The family and friends of Lynette and Paul are shocked and deeply saddened by this double loss. There are no words to describe the feelings we experience when we wake up to a world without Lynette’s beautiful smile and Paul’s cheeky grin.’

The tragedy has led to an outpouring of grief from loved ones.

“A young, loving couple who cherished their son dearly… I have no words other than ‘taken too soon’,” Ms Reader’s mother Kaylene told Nine News in a statement.

Ms. Reader’s brother, Todd, took to Facebook to write his grief.

“The pain I feel is difficult to put into words,” he wrote.

“I wish you would stay in Tasmania, wish this was just a bad dream. You leave behind your beautiful son, I promise I will be there for him. This is a pain I never wanted to feel, you were meant to grow old and grumpy with me.

“A sister is someone who loves you from the heart, no matter how many times you say you can’t be torn apart. She was a joy taken away.”

A separate, unrelated fundraiser has been set up for Ms Reader’s mother, who hopes her daughter’s body can be returned to Tasmania.

‘It was a very shocking event and we are still (shocked). There are no words to describe the grief she faces. Any amount helps, if anything is left over it will go towards the costs of her funeral,” the page reads.

The investigation into the crash continues, including whether speed was a factor.

The Toyota Aurion driver, 43, suffered minor injuries and was taken to hospital.

WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch made a poignant plea in the wake of the tragedy.

So far in 2023, at least 110 lives have been lost on WA roads.

“It is yet another very stark and sad reminder that riding a motorcycle is a dangerous mode of travel, and that you have to be very careful about the way you ride a motorcycle,” Commissioner Blanch said.

Anyone with information about the crash or who has a dashcam is urged to call CrimeStoppers.