My fiancé Noah never made it home after a bus driver hit his motorbike just minutes from me and our baby girl. Here’s what I want everyone to know

For Tiarna Weismantel, not a day goes by without thinking about how abruptly her world was torn apart.

Her fiancé Noah Aritara Tearoiti was just 29 years old when he lost his life in a horrific motorbike crash – just eight minutes from home – on September 29, 2023.

The Navy seaman – who served in the Royal Australian Navy for 10 years – was riding home from work when his motorbike collided with a bus after the driver failed to give way at an intersection in Kensington, in Sydney’s east.

The devoted dad died shortly after being taken to hospital in a critical condition.

Bus driver Priscilla Kitty Paramita was charged with negligent driving occasioning death. On May 25, the 36-year-old was found guilty and sentenced to 200 hours of community service, loss of licence for two years and a $2,000 fine.

‘I didn’t want her to receive jail time because that won’t bring Noah back. But all I have wanted for almost three years now is just an apology,’ Tiarna told Daily Mail.

‘I’m still just struggling with the sentencing on Monday, the bus driver didn’t apologise to me and she couldn’t even look at me when I read my victim impact statement. 

‘I don’t believe she went to work that day intending to kill anyone but her actions were negligent and she took Noah’s life. Some accountability would help me a lot.’

At the time, Tiarna was at home with their then-10-month-old baby daughter Lani when police knocked on their door with the devastating news about Noah.

‘It was like the Earth fell from beneath my feet. The police told me to sit down as I was feeding Lani. I knew immediately what they were going to tell me… It was like life was in slow motion,’ Tiarna told Daily Mail. 

‘The words from the police telling me Noah was no longer alive still echo in my ears. It will haunt me for the rest of my life.’

Noah was a leading seaman in the Royal Australian Navy for almost 11 years. 

‘He spent countless months away on deployments serving our country. He was the hardest working man, always doing overtime, and he was always helping others wherever he could,’ his fiancée said. 

‘Everyone loved him, he was so funny. If Noah was your friend, you were a very lucky person. He was one of a kind. A true gentleman, the best brother and a loyal friend. 

‘I was the lucky one who got to spend every moment by his side. Losing him didn’t just change my life and Lani’s, it left a hole in so many others too.

‘I miss his strength and comfort the most. I always knew I was safe with him and I miss his laugh so much. I’m so grateful to have a piece of him always with our baby girl.’

In the nearly three years since Noah’s death, Tiarna said her world has been filled with emotional highs and lows. 

‘It was really hard to continue to get out of bed every day for our daughter when I just wanted to crumble,’ she explained. 

‘Life has been a wave of ups and downs, grief and sadness since Noah passed away. Nothing is the same. I had to learn how to live life again, and it took a long time to feel happiness without the guilt of him not being here.

‘Lani is the reason I’m alive today, our daughter saved me.’ 

Tiarna met Noah in 2019 – and the couple were just months away from tying the knot at their dream wedding when tragedy struck in September 2023.

‘Grief doesn’t just take the person you love – it takes the life you thought you’d have. I was 25 when I endured my soulmate dying. Grief didn’t just break my heart, it shattered all the plans I made,’ she said. 

She’s now urging drivers to take road safety more seriously, no matter how near or far they are travelling.

‘Drive as if your loved ones are on the road ahead,’ she said.  

‘You are driving an extremely dangerous weapon every single time you get behind the wheel.

‘Life is short. You can be in the peak of your life, have a beautiful family and a bright future for it all to be taken away in a split second. Tomorrow isn’t promised – tell your people you love them.’

Tiarna said even the most experienced riders can be put in danger by other drivers – especially those who are careless or distracted behind the wheel.

‘Motorcycles are incredibly dangerous. It doesn’t matter how good and cautious of a rider you are, other people can be complacent on the road,’ she said. 

She wanted to remind everyone to just ‘slow down’ because ‘nothing is worth your life’, whether you’re running late for work or worried about missing an appointment. 

‘You don’t need to rush. Stay alert always, drive to survive,’ she said.

In an emotional plea, Tiarna said she wanted to ‘bring attention to something that is very close to my heart’.

‘If you don’t know, my late fiancé Noah passed away in 2023. He was riding his motorbike home from work when he was hit by a negligent bus driver,’ she said. 

‘A split second decision changed everything. He lost his life, my life was changed, our daughter’s life was changed and the lives of our family and friends were changed forever.

‘When you are driving a vehicle, you are driving a weapon. You need to be careful, you need to be aware. 

‘Take that extra second to check your blind spots, take that extra second to turn the corner. If you see a light that’s amber turning red, slow down instead of speeding up.’

The mum referenced alarming NSW road toll statistics, with 138 lives already lost on the roads in 2026 following 355 deaths last year. 

‘That’s insane,’ she said. 

‘I was told today that’s like a passenger jet crashing and going down and all these people losing their lives. Imagine the outrage and the shock if that happened. This is what’s happening every single year on NSW roads.’

Tiarna wanted to remind everyone that small mistakes can have serious consequences. 

‘If you could take one of these things on board and remember what I’m saying today, it would mean the absolute world to me,’ she said. 

‘Anyone can be complacent behind the wheel. Lives are changed every single day not just in NSW but across Australia. 

‘Please pay attention and just get home safely at the end of the day.’

Her video has been viewed more than 65,000 times, with many viewers sharing stories of losing loved ones in horrific road accidents. 

‘I have had my life forever changed by somebody else’s negligence in a car so yes, please don’t drive distracted. It might not be your life, but it could be somebody else’s,’ one shared. 

‘My cousin was killed by a drunk driver. He had just turned 18 two days prior. This is such an important message. The destruction dangerous driving causes is immeasurable. Our family is forever changed,’ another pointed out. 

‘My late husband also passed away in 2023. He was a heavy vehicle driver. He would always tell me about how many close calls he would get,’ one revealed.

‘My fiancé got his motorbike licence and I’m terrified every time he goes for a ride,’ another added.