Why were a 6-, 5-, and 4-year-old wandering through an apartment complex on their own?

That was my first question. I spent a lot of time running around with friends say, from 7 or 8 on--but that's a huge difference in age, and I was on an Air Force base away from most everything.

In this case, there was apparently negligience on the part of a maintenance worker who cut off the lock and left the pool area unsecured.

CNN.com - Boy on life support after saving girl - Jun 10, 2004

He really is quite a hero, though. I so hope he recovers, although I'm not sure how his chances are.