New Jersey

Designated Driver Dies After Head-On Crash Near NJ College

In a statement on Tuesday, TCNJ President Kathryn A. Foster said that Michael Sot, 20, succumbed to his injuries

What to Know

  • A head-on crash left five students critically injured near The College of New Jersey in Ewing early Sunday morning
  • One of the injured was a designated driver who was shuttling students between an off-campus party all night, his father says
  • In a statement on Tuesday, TCNJ President Kathryn A. Foster said the designated driver succumbed to his injuries

A 20-year-old student who was in critical condition after a horrific crash near The College of New Jersey campus in Ewing on Sunday has died, the president of the school said.

Michael Sot, of Clark, New Jersey, was acting as a designated driver for other students the night of the crash, his father previously told News 4.

In a statement on Tuesday, TCNJ President Kathryn A. Foster confirmed that Sot succumbed to his injuries.

“This news is heartbreaking,” Foster said. “Michael was an outstanding student, and a trusted and caring friend with a bright future ahead of him.”

“The TCNJ community is keeping his family, friends and loved ones in its thoughts during this tremendously difficult time,” she added.

Sot was one eight people — including four other students — injured in the head-on crash on Pennington Road, which is about a mile from the campus.

Injuries suffered in the crash included broken bones, a ruptured bladder and a brain injury. It wasn’t immediately clear what injuries Sot sustained.

Police said a car driven by David Lamar V, 22, crossed into an oncoming lane and collided with the car Sot was driving, NJ.com reported. The outlet reported that Lamar was impaired at the time of the crash. 

Lamar is expected to be charged with vehicular homicide, the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office said Tuesday.

Sot’s father told News 4 that Sot was shuttling students up and down Pennington Road to an off-campus party that night, never touching a drink and always wearing a seatbelt.

The college this week will focus “on helping our campus community process this devastating loss and providing appropriate resources to those who need assistance,” Foster said.

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