Accidents happen and people die. The tragedy is greater when those who die are children. But the pain and grief become unbearable when such accidents could have been prevented.

In the majority of cases in Trinidad and Tobago when small children are killed, prevention is always possible. Most of the time, it is simple lack of adult supervision which leads to children's deaths.

A Diego Martin boy, riding his bike on a steep incline near a house under renovation, fell and was impaled on an iron bar. A five-year-old girl fell off a precipice at the back of her house in Toco. A couple of sleeping infants slipped between bed and wall and suffocated.

Several more have fallen into ponds, or even pails of water, and drowned. In the latest incidents, occurring within two days of each other, a two-year-old girl died, apparently choking on her food, and a three-year-old boy drowned after he fell into a river.

In the boy's case, eight children were reported fishing with three adults in the Guaracara river at Williamsville. The children were brought back home by one of the adults, who then left them to go to a parlour. The children returned on their own to the river, where a three-year-old boy fell in. Fatally.

Here we have a tragic example of a far too common practice: small children being left in the care of older ones. But, if adults find themselves distracted or tired or simply irresponsible when taking care of children, isn't it obvious that other children will be even more so? And, given the prevalence of child drownings, it is even more obvious that people who live near any bodies of water should be extra vigilant about knowing where their children are.

In the case of the two-year-old girl, several factors came together for a tragedy to happen. After feeding her, the mother put the child to sleep and went to take a shower. But the infant had a cold, and may have been put to sleep on her back. The preliminary autopsy showed that she had food in her lungs and throat.

Lack of knowledge may have played a role here. The mother may not have known that a cold increases the chances of vomiting, and that infants should always be put to sleep on their stomachs or sides, precisely in order to avoid choking if they vomit during their sleep.

The lesson is hard. But it must be learned by all parents: responsibility and knowledge can save your child's life.