Westport family denies man was text messaging before crash

“During the investigation, the officers determined that Mr. Parsons had been communicating through text messaging," Detective Jeff Majewski said Friday in a statement. “One of the text messages occurred within one minute of the crash."

The Parsons family today denied the texting allegation.

“There was no texting involved in his accident,” said Cory Parsons, 24, the victim's brother.

According to Cory Parsons, Aaron Parsons was visiting a friend down the road at 589 Division when his girlfriend texted him saying she was at his parents’ house, which is located at 89 Division Road. Parsons replied from the friend’s house with a text message saying that he was coming to see her. That, Cory Parsons said, was the last text message that his brother sent. He crashed at 435 Division Road, a short distance from his friend’s house.

Cory Parsons acknowledged his brother was a fast driver and that he was speeding Thursday.

“He drove fast. It’s a bad thing. I accept that. But he was not texting,” he said.

He said the assertion that his brother was text messaging, reported widely in the local media, had hurt the family.

“He’s not even in the obituaries yet, and they’re running a story like that,” he said. “My brother isn’t here to defend himself.”

Aaron Parsons’ girlfriend of two years, Vanessa Borba, 18, of Westport, called him “the best.”

“He was an awesome friend. He loved his family,” Borba said. “I could never ask for anyone better than him.”

Borba said the last text message she received from Aaron said he was leaving his friend’s house.

Police would not comment today on the ongoing investigation beyond the prepared statement.

Officers said the wreckage was graphic and devastating.

“The damage to the vehicle was catastrophic,” Majewski said in the statement, calling the crash “one of the worst that officers had seen in many years.”