Emmett Tayler’s father reveals details of horror Wickepin crash that killed his son as mum tells of heartbreak

The father of the boy who died in a crash in the Wheatbelt has revealed that he was one of the first at the horrific scene, recalling his despair when he was unable to pull his son from the fiery wreck. And Emmett Tayler’s mother has told of her immeasurable heartbreak at the death of her “little baby”. Packing for a four-day trip to Peppermint Grove Beach in Capel, the Nungarin nine-year-old was buzzing. But Emmett’s holiday was about to turn to tragedy. Along with three of the family’s border collies, the youngster piled into his grandmother Nancy Tayler’s car, while dad Jacob Tayler and stepmum Jasmine Coles travelled behind, last Wednesday. About 2.45pm, Mr Tayler and his wife were heading out of Wickepin when they spotted smoke on the horizon. “We were a couple of kilometres behind and could see this smoke over in the distance and thought, ‘Oh there’s a fire up there’,” Mr Tayler said. “Then as we got close, I could see that there was a car on fire. “Jasmine told me to ring my mum. “I did and it went straight to message bank, so I got out of the car and could see it was a white Kluger.” Mrs Tayler’s car had spiralled out of control and hit a tree. “I just went around the back and read the numberplate just before it burnt away — and I knew it was mum’s car,” Mr Tayler said. “Then the first responder bloke said to me, ‘The lady, the lady’s over there on the side’. I said, ‘That’s my mum’. “She was conscious and talking to me. “The flames were so hot I just ... I couldn’t get any closer to the car. “I just had to be with her, there was nothing ... I had to be with my mum and watch it burn. “Yeah, there’s nothing I can do for Emmett now.” Mrs Tayler was flown to Fiona Stanley Hospital with serious injuries. But Emmett died at the scene. Standing at the smouldering crash site, Mr Tayler made the gut-wrenching call to his son’s mother, Sarah-Dean Kirk. “I’m heartbroken that this has happened, which is not covering how I feel,” Ms Kirk said. “It feels so surreal.” Ms Kirk lives in Darwin and flew to Perth after the accident. She last saw her son weeks ago, when he visited her in the Northern Territory. Ms Kirk said she wanted everyone to remember her boy for his “heart of gold”. “Emj would always see the best in everyone he met and in return everyone that ever met him would fall in love with him,” she said. “My little baby had the best cuddles and kisses. “And he always made sure I knew he loved me. And I the same.” “He will always be with me.” Mr Tayler remembered his son as an “outgoing red hair spunk” who was “all for his friends, family and his dogs”. “My son, he was my whole world, my little protege,” he said. “He was definitely his father’s son no doubt. “He was cheeky but he got away with it because he just had this way about him. “He loved camping and going motorbike riding ... just a country kid. “When I get home, it’s going to be really hard. “There’s going to be his BMX in the driveway where I always tell him not to leave it. “Now I wish that he was here to leave it in the way. It’s like 10 years of my life has just been wiped out.” Three of the family’s pure-bred border collie puppies — Hudson, Timba and Seyma — also died in the crash. Mr Tayler said the stretch of road was straight and conditions fine at the time of the incident. “It was just an accident ... there was no kangaroo or anything like that,” he said. Mrs Tayler is due to have surgery tomorrow. A GoFundMe campaign for a memorial fund launched on Friday has raised about $7300.