New Indiana Law Could Save Someone’s Life

I figured with the party of the year, Ski Day On the Ohio, happening this weekend, along with kids about to be going off the college for the first time, there wasn’t a more appropriate time to talk about this.  This past Sunday, a Carmel Indiana family mourned the loss of their 18-year-old son, Brett Finbloom. Brett died because of alcohol poisoning.   There is a law that went into effect in Indiana on July 1st, and after the untimely loss of Brett Finbloom, awareness should be raised about this law.  It’s called the Indiana Lifeline Law.

What I read from the Indiana Lifeline Law website that really hit me is, since 2004 more than two dozen Hoosiers under the age of 21 have lost their lives due to alcohol poisoning.  This bill will hopefully save some of those lives in the future.

This law protects the person who makes the potentially lifesaving call to 911. It grants immunity from certain charges, such as public intoxication and minor consumption, to those who call 911 when a friend has taken in dangerous amounts of alcohol.

The Indiana Lifeline law website states:

“The Lifeline Law provides immunity for the crimes of public intoxication, minor possession, minor consumption, and minor transportation alcohol to persons who reveal themselves to law enforcement while seeking medical assistance for a person suffering from an alcohol-related health emergency.”

This law gives the 911 caller immunity as long as they show they are acting in good faith by following these rules

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

B) By remaining on the scene until law enforcement and emergency medical assistance arrives

C) And they cooperate with authorities at the scene

The law isn’t condoning underage drinking, it’s trying to encourage people to not be afraid to make the lifesaving phone call to 911 because of possible repercussions.   I heard about this today and realistically, underage drinking happens all the time, and because of the huge party that’s going to be going on this weekend, as well as Labor Day Weekend coming up, and school about to begin.  I felt it was a pretty appropriate time to talk about it.

If you know someone underage, please share this with them.  No one should be afraid to save someone’s life.  I’d take a minor consumption over losing a friend any day.