Melissa Tana was 19 when she met her soulmate and the father of her three children, Shannon.

She remembers being instantly drawn to him, which makes his tragic death after almost 20 years together so much harder to bear.

Worse, the accident was caused by a careless driver and therefore entirely avoidable.

Mr Tana had been riding his motorbike home in Kalgoorlie-Boulder after a quick trip to the supermarket last August.

A driver heading in the opposite direction collided with him while trying to turn right.

Mr Tana died in hospital.

As this happened, Ms Tana was returning home from an event with her daughter, unaware their lives had changed forever.

Police were waiting for them at the door.

"When the police said, 'are you Melissa Tana?', my heart just dropped," she said.

"At that stage, I was only told by the police that there had been a serious accident, that Shannon had been badly injured and that he hadn't made it.

"It just completely blindsided me."

'We said what we needed to say'

Tayla Titchener, 22, was charged with careless driving causing death and handed a suspended prison sentence of seven months.

Instead of being angry, bitter and regretful, Ms Tana decided to forgive the young woman and accept the court's decision to let her walk free.

"The outcome is the outcome," Mrs Tana said.

"I don't think any amount of time in jail or anything like that would've made a difference.

"You can't bring Shannon back."

Shannon Tana, a cherished father and husband, was killed while riding his motorbike. ( Supplied: Mel Tana )

As Mr Tana's family in New Zealand struggled to accept the circumstances of his death, his mother eventually reached out to Ms Titchener.

That same evening, Ms Tana received a message from the younger woman via Facebook.

"Tayla messaged me and just said that she would like the opportunity if I was willing to allow her to apologise to myself and the children," she said.

The pair agreed to meet at nearby Centennial park, with Ms Tana accompanied by her children.

Ms Titchener brought her partner and his parents for support.

"I think I was the first one to burst out crying," Mrs Tana said.

"It was confronting but we both said what we needed to say.

"I just explained as best I could without saying too much, because I knew she already knew how great an impact it has been and how devastating it has been for us.

"She just told me how sorry she was, how she'll never be able to forget what happened and how great it's impacted her life as well."

'I just hugged her'

What happened next came as a surprise to everyone, Mrs Tana says, including herself.

"I just hugged her and I said I forgive you, and we were both emotional," Mrs Tana said.

"I'd actually decided [to forgive her] long before the meeting.

"I feel I could come to that place because of my faith in God."

Melissa and Shannon Tana had been happily married for more than 15 years. ( Supplied: Melissa Tana )

Mrs Tana and her family had been living in Kalgoorlie-Boulder for 15 years at the time of her husband's death.

They were well-known in the community and ran a popular gym franchise together.

In the wake of the accident, tens of thousands of dollars were raised for the grieving family with local members of the community and small businesses setting up fundraising initiatives to help.

Mrs Tana was approached by many people in the community who said even brief encounters with Mr Tana had left them with a smile.

"I don't think Shannon knew just how much of an impact he made," she said.

"It's left a big hole in many people's lives."

The Tana family home is filled with memories of Shannon, a beloved father and husband who once filled it with love.

The Tana family home is filled with memories of the cherished father and husband who once filled it with so much joy, laughter and love.

As she looks back to the moment she first met Mr Tana and the life they built together, the gravity of her decision to forgive Ms Titchener becomes evident.

"Yes, I've been hurt many times," she said.

"Yes, I've had wrong things happen to me, and of all the things this is the most devastating and the consequences are lifelong.

"Every day is a struggle, but it really isn't going to benefit me to have any ill feelings towards this person who really didn't intend for something like this to happen and who is genuinely sorry."

Ms Titchener declined an interview with the ABC.