Twin-Tragedy: Gold Coast parents bury second son in six months after family tragedy
A Gold Coast couple has been left shattered after losing their second son in just six months — the latest tragedy striking just days after the mother publicly reflected on whether grief could ever get easier.
Leroy Cane, 23, died in hospital after losing control of his Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle on West Burleigh Road at Burleigh Heads on April 2.
He was rushed to Gold Coast University Hospital with life-threatening injuries but could not be saved.
The death came exactly six months and six days after his younger brother Ryan, 20, was electrocuted while standing near rail tracks in the Central Queensland town of Duaringa in late September.
Their parents, Leanne Whitehouse and Paul Cane, broke the news on social media, describing themselves as "devastated" and asking for compassion as they processed an unimaginable double loss.
"It is with heavy hearts that our family share the news of our Leroy Cane's tragic motorbike accident, just six months and six days after his brother Ryan Cane tragically died of electrocution," Whitehouse wrote.
Just five days before Leroy's crash, his mother had posted a raw reflection on her grief over Ryan's death — questioning how any parent could make sense of such a loss.
"A mum should never have to say, my son died six months ago," she wrote on March 28.
"There is a coronial investigation, and we have been told so little about how, or why, this tragedy happened," Whitehouse said.
"My mind still cannot comprehend that I will never see Ryan move through life again."
Days later, she was grieving a second son.
Ryan (left) and Leroy Cane(right) Source: Facebook
Family and friends have flooded social media with tributes, with cousin Jade Anderson establishing a GoFundMe campaign to support the family through funeral costs and the ongoing coronial process surrounding Ryan's death.
Anderson described Leroy as a free spirit whose identity was inseparable from his love of motorbikes, his dogs and his mates.
"He lived every day like an adventure," she wrote.
"Those who knew him will remember his infectious energy and his ability to turn an ordinary day into a story worth telling," Whitehouse said.
Ryan, she said, was cut from similar cloth, a quiet but fearless young man whose passion was bull riding.
Another relative said the family was struggling to find words equal to the weight of what they were carrying.
"Leroy, you have left another hole in our hearts that will not heal."
"Six months after losing Ryan — words can't explain how shattered we all are."
Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances of the crash and are urging anyone with dashcam footage or information to come forward.
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