By Michelle Lampariello
Editor-in-Chief
Michael Sot, a 20-year-old sophomore math major from Clark, New Jersey, died on Tuesday, Dec. 4 from injuries he sustained in a head-on collision in the early morning hours of Sunday, Dec. 2. Sot was acting as a designated driver for the five other passengers in his vehicle that night when they were struck by an "impaired" driver, 22-year-old David Lamar V of West Windsor, New Jersey, according to the Ewing Township Police Department.
Sot, who is survived by his parents and three siblings, had a separate GoFundMe page established in his name to assist his family. This was in addition to the GoFundMe page set up for all of the victims that were in Sot’s car, which has now raised more than $75,000.
According to the GoFundMe established for Sot, injuries that he sustained in the collision include a “head trauma that required surgery, a punctured lung, fractures of the L4/5 vertebrae and many broken bones.”
In a campus-wide email, College President Kathryn Foster expressed her gratitude to the medical team at Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton, New Jersey, who cared for Sot as well as two other students who were injured in the crash.
Danielle DeFlores, a 21-year-old senior biology major, and Ryan Moore, a 21-year-old senior marketing major remain at Capital Health. Anthony Galante, a 19-year-old sophomore finance major and Matthew DeGenova, a 21-year-old senior accounting major, remain at St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, to which Foster also expressed appreciation.
Lamar is now also charged with vehicular homicide, according to the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, in addition to the original charge of seven counts of second-degree assault by auto.
Sot 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.
At the College, Sot was a brother of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. Galante, DeGenova and Moore are also brothers of Phi Kappa Psi. Moore’s girlfriend, Jenna Passero of Midland Park, New Jersey and a student at Kutztown University, was also in Sot’s vehicle.
Foster wrote in her campus-wide email that Counseling and Psychological Services will offer postvention counseling in the Brower Student Center, and added that "the meditation room in the Spiritual Center is open for prayer and quiet reflection for those who wish to use it.”
Sot, who was known for “being a great son to his parents, an awesome brother to his three siblings and a great friend to many,” according to his GoFundMe page, will be deeply missed.
“Rest easy Mike. I will make you proud. I love you more than you’ll ever know. See you soon,” his brother, Jon Sot, tweeted.
Jon Sot’s alma mater, St. Joseph High School in Metuchen, New Jersey, expressed condolences to the Sot family on Twitter.
“Our family hurts today with the Sots,” the school’s athletics department tweeted. “Our deepest condolences to Mike Sr., Candace, Jon, Matt, Jessy. Michael’s legacy lives on through his incredible family. Michael, thanks for being a role model to Jon (’18) & Matt (’20) & to all of us who will do the next right thing.’"
