Tragedy, squared: Common sense lessons could stop another senseless loss of life.

Many people will always wonder if someone could have stopped Joran van der Sloot before he killed again.

And in the final analysis, there were probably mistakes and twists of fate that conspired to keep authorities from preventing what is nothing but a tragic and senseless loss of the life of another young girl.

But there are some common sense lessons that can be learned not only from the death of Stephany Flores, but also from the disappearance of Natalie Holloway.

There are too many young women who do not think clearly when they are on vacation or when they meet a stranger in a bar. Since their own experiences have been harmless in situations like this, they do not exercise enough caution -- and sometimes they end up in situations that are disastrous.

And, yes, a recent high school graduate is too young to go to Aruba alone or with a group of friends. And yes, a young college student should know better than to head to the room of a man she just met in a casino.

Both those were momentary lapses of judgment that ended up resulting in two lives lost much too early.

Van der Sloot is a predator who should have been put away, period. And neither of these young girls should be castigated for ending up in a dangerous situation with him.

But the tragic ends to their lives should be a lesson for anyone who is a 20-something female or who is the parent of one.

A little caution, a lot of restraint and more than a little horse sense can save a life, really.

Published in Editorials on June 10, 2010 11:00 AM