After losing son in crash, a Colorado Springs mom warns parents to discuss safe driving with teens

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- A Colorado Springs mother is urging other parents to talk to their children about safe driving after she lost her own son in a fatal crash.

On February 24, 2023, officers with the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) responded to a crash in the 51000 block of N. Powers Blvd. At the scene, police found a passenger dead.

Vanessa Parsons told KRDO that the victim was her 18-year-old son, Deyancie Parsons

According to investigators, the car went off the road and rolled, ejecting Deyancie from the vehicle. He died at the scene.

The person behind the wheel was a teen.

Deyancie's death came barely a month before an Italian foreign exchange student was hit and killed by a 17-year-old outside a Colorado Springs high school. The driver in that incident was also charged with Careless Driving Resulting in Death.

The Colorado Department of Transportation shared with KRDO data of crashes involving people ages 20 and younger over the last five years.

Since 2018, fatal crashes involving a driver aged 20 and younger rose leaped from 82 to 103, dropping only once in 2019. In the last three years, the fatalities have risen slightly.

While the circumstances surrounding each crash vary, every time a family is left grappling with the loss of a loved one taken too soon.

Vanessa said she's calling on Colorado Springs parents to start having conversations with their kids about the consequences of careless driving.

"I would tell parents that they have to remind their kids that being responsible matters and being accountable matters," said Vanessa.

On March 28, 2023, the 17-year-old driver of the vehicle was charged with careless driving causing death, and changing lanes in an unsafe manner. Due to the driver's age, they will not be identified.