Suburban high school hockey team leads rally to promote Scott's Law after trooper's death

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. - A group of suburban hockey team players, who were so moved by a state trooper's death, are rallying to promote Scott’s Law.

The team was coming home from a game last January when they drove past the scene where State Trooper Christopher Lambert was killed. It left a lasting impression on them.

Typically, the Highland Park hockey team raises money for breast cancer research, but this year, it decided to switch gears because of a tragedy they witnessed.

"That could've been us,” said Parker Hara, a member of the team. “They were on their way to a tournament game; it's a really personal story to us.”

On Jan. 12, he and his teammates were on their way to a tournament when they drove past the aftermath of the crash on I-294 that killed Trooper Lambert.

“We later found out that this was a Highland Park resident and when he was killed, he was actually helping out a fellow hockey family,” said Jack Elbaum, a member of the team.

Those revelations led seniors Hara, Elbaum, and Sam Shachtman to launch a fundraiser for Trooper Lambert's surviving family, which is now expecting another child.

"After something like this, you'd, of course, expect a large community organized effort to try help the family, and we were a little disheartened that we did not see that, and as a result, we felt obligated to do this,” said Elbaum.

So this Saturday, the Giants are hosting an open-skate fundraiser, to not only raise money for the Lamberts but also awareness about Scott’s Law, which requires drivers to slow down and move over when they see flashing lights on the road.

“Already this year in Illinois, 16 police officers have been hit and three killed already in 2019 as a result of people not following Scott’s Law,” said Elbaum. 

Saturday's fundraiser is from 1 to 3:30 p.m. at Centennial Ice Arena. If you can't make it, click here for the GoFundMe page.