Michael Sot Walk To Raise Awareness For Drunk Driving Prevention

CLARK, NJ — At 20 years old, Michael Sot, a College of New Jersey math major from Clark, made the decision to serve as a designated driver for his friends. In a cruel irony, he was killed on Dec. 2, 2018, by another driver, in a head-on collision that hospitalized eight people — a crash that police say was allegedly caused by a drunk driver.

The Sot family is honoring Michael's memory, and his commitment to designated driving, by working with the John R. Elliott HERO Campaign to ensure other families don’t experience their pain and loss.

A "Remembering Michael Sot HERO Walk" will be held on Saturday, June 19, at the Arthur L. Johnson High School in Clark. Registration begins at 10 a.m. and a Remembering Michael ceremony will take place at 10:45 a.m., just before the start of the Walk.

In Michael's memory, the public is encouraged to click here to register to participate as an individual or team. In addition to the walk, supporters can take the HERO Pledge to be and use designated drivers. The walk will also feature music, an auction, face painting and balloon sculptures for kids.

All proceeds from the event support the HERO Campaign's mission to promote the use of safe and sober designated drivers. Since its inception in 2000, the HERO Campaign has helped to reduce alcohol-related fatalities and incidents, including a 35 percent reduction in DUI fatalities in New Jersey and other states over the past decade.

The crash occurred on Dec. 2, 2018, around 2 a.m., when David Lamar, 22, of West Windsor left the now closed Landmark Americana, a bar on TCNJ's campus, after hours of drinking.

Lamar reportedly crashed head-on into a car carrying six TCNJ students back to campus. The crash killed Sot and wounded all five passengers, one critically. Lamar and his passenger also sustained injuries in the crash. Read More: Clark Man, 20, Dies After 8 Hospitalized In Crash: Prosecutor

At the time of the incident, Lamar had a blood-alcohol level three times the legal limit for driving, Grewal said. Read More: NJ Driver's Blood Alcohol Was 3X The Limit In Fatal Crash: Report

Sot was a recent Arthur L. Johnson High School and math major at TCNJ. He was a star baseball player and member of the National Honor Society at Arthur L. Johnson Regional High School in Clark, New Jersey, according to My Central Jersey. Read More: Clark 'Designated Driver' Mourned After Crash In Awful Irony

He also played baseball and attended Saint Joseph's High School in Metuchen.

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