Had two-year-old Kamari and his young brother Amani Collins, eight months, been in car seats, they may have survived a late night accident on Thursday in Mausica.
The boys, along with their mother Carla Collins, were killed instantly when they were thrown from their father's car, after a car driven by a 28-year-old man ran a red light and slammed into them.
According to the autopsy reports, both children died as a result of massive head trauma and brain contusions. Their mother also suffered severe head injuries. She too did not have a seat belt on.
The lone survivor of the crash, the boys' father Keston Collins, a cook with the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard, survived with minor injuries. He was buckled in.
Police reports indicate that around 11 pm Thursday, the Collins family were heading to their Callis Street, D'Abadie home after visiting Collins' parents at Darwil Gardens, Arima, when the accident happened. While Collins was driving south along the Mausica Road, a car heading east along the Priority Bus Route slammed into their vehicle, which then hit another vehicle.
The driver of the car that broke the red light was in a serious condition at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope, last night.
The accident was recorded on Close Circuit TV cameras and widely shared on social media yesterday, as were pictures of the two children's bodies in nearby drains and their mother on the side walk.
Speaking with the media at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, yesterday, Carl Maxima, said his daughter, a geriatric nurse, loved taking care of the elderly from a young age. He said the most hurtful thing he had to endure was seeing his two grandchildren and his daughter "on a slab."
"I forgive the driver. As much as I forgive the driver I believe that somehow or the other we supposed to be more responsible," he said.
"I am not the law but I worked in the police service for a period of time, and to me, I am not blaming the Government, but the people who are there and the opposition need to get up and try to understand, try to put their heads together and do some distinctive thing in this country."
The couple would have celebrated two years marriage in May and were together for six years, relatives said. They moved into their own home last December. Grieving relatives were also disgusted with social media users, as they learnt of the deaths via photos of their loved ones' lifeless bodies on Facebook and other social media sites.
A colleague of Collins, who did not want to be identified, said the accident could have been avoided had the driver's friends ensured he did not drink and drive. The sentiment was echoed by Maxima, who called on bar owners to gauge the amount of alcohol their patrons consume and know when to cut them off. He added that police officers should be stationed at bars to ensure that the drivers are not intoxicated when they leave and attempt to drive.
Collins' colleague added: "I want people to start to take more responsibility because we can't depend on Government. If we have to fix this country we have to come together and do it. People need to stop encouraging nonsense, mother not saying anything when their sons doing illegal activity because they getting some money, friends allowing friends to drive drunk and then recording it and putting it up on Facebook instead of telling them about it or taking away their car keys. We have a culture where if the police arrest somebody for weed people will be against the police. That have to stop."
The Collins were the second fatal accident to occur on Thursday night.
The first was Crispin Reyes, 59, who was knocked down by a truck around 6.30 pm along the Eastern Main Road, near Lopinot.
According to police reports, the truck slammed into Reyes as he attempted to cross the road. The driver never stopped. Police said the truck bore a company's symbol and they will be reviewing cameras in the area to help them in their investigation.
Last year, 124 people died as a result of vehicular accidents. To date, nine people have died in accidents compared to 18 for the same period last year.