PSA- Indiana University Students

News this morning spread quickly that Indiana University had tragically lost one of their own. As many of you are aware, Indiana Freshman Rachael Fiege, 19 Zionsville, was taken off life support this morning after falling down a basement staircase at a party early Friday morning.

Fiege was rushed to the hospital approximately 6 hours after her fall, but it was unfortunately too late. This tragic situation was made worse by the reluctance to seek medical attention. Nobody knows if the outcome could have been different if the authorities were called immediately, but they certaintly couldn't have turned out worse.

This leads to the reason for this article. Indiana has a unique law called the LifeLine Law. The Lifeline Law provides immunity for the crimes of public intoxication, minor possession, minor consumption, and minor transportation of alcohol to persons who reveal themselves to law enforcement while seeking medical assistance for a person suffering from an alcohol-related health emergency.

Translation: If you and your friends are out drinking, and somebody gets seriously hurt, call 911 or get them to the hospital. As long as you follow the following conditions, you WILL NOT be in trouble for your underage drinking.

In order to receive immunity, the person must demonstrate that they are acting in good faith by completing ALL of the following:

- Providing their full name any other relevant information requested by law enforcement officers

- Remaining on the scene until law enforcement and emergency medical assistance arrives

- Cooperating with authorities on the scene

Translation: Be a good friend and do everything you can to help them. The three "conditions" listed above are common sense and a no-brainer for helping your injured friend. This law is there to help you make the RIGHT decision and avoid a potentially tragic situation like this.

Please share this message to all Hoosiers and hopefully prevent future tragedies like this one.

R.I.P Rachael Fiege.