Tot's death was sheer bad luck

So often it seems we meander through life a split second or one poor decision away from tragedy.

Such was the case of the tragic death of Sajinah Ataarangi Leon Hunia, who died in a terrible accident earlier this year when the 2-year-old ran out on to the road and was hit by a car.

Coroner Tim Scott this week released his findings into the accident and sounded a warning of the dangers of inattention around children. As anyone who has cared for young children will know, their agility and the speed with which they can get into a compromising position is astounding.

And unfortunately coroner Scott's urging that children should always be "watched like hawks" is easier said than done.

Child-resistant lids on containers and other tricky devices are often no match for the skill, persistence and curiosity of little fingers. So a latch on a gate was not up to the task of keeping Sajinah in the section where she was playing with a cousin.

Hindsight offers the benefit of 20/20 vision and her mother and others will no doubt have asked themselves a million questions about that day and what they might have done differently. It will not comfort them they have not been found at fault - coroner Scott suggests it was entirely plausible to assume the fence and gate was secure.

The fact that the coroner himself is unable to come up with any meaningful recommendations suggests this was a tragedy born of sheer bad luck rather than any lack of judgment or negligence. That won't help ease the pain endured by the family of Sajinah.

But coroner Scott's words do act as a clear message to all of us, a reminder of the fragility of the young human life and the speed with which it can be taken.

One of the most telling comments by the coroner is in praise of the actions of the bystander who, he suggests, helped ensure the cousin, Te Manawa, did not come to any harm. It is a lesson we can all learn from.

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