diff --git a/numpy_ringbuffer/__init__.py b/numpy_ringbuffer/__init__.py
index 719a29b..d99d80a 100644
--- a/numpy_ringbuffer/__init__.py
+++ b/numpy_ringbuffer/__init__.py
@@ -162,11 +162,17 @@ def __len__(self):
 		return self._right_index - self._left_index
 
 	def __getitem__(self, item):
+		if len(self) == 0:
+			raise IndexError("Buffer is empty")
 		# handle simple (b[1]) and basic (b[np.array([1, 2, 3])]) fancy indexing specially
 		if not isinstance(item, tuple):
 			item_arr = np.asarray(item)
 			if issubclass(item_arr.dtype.type, np.integer):
-				item_arr = (item_arr + self._left_index) % self._capacity
+				if self.is_full:
+					item_arr = (item_arr + self._left_index) % self._capacity
+				else:
+					item_arr = ((item_arr + self._left_index)
+								% self._right_index)
 				return self._arr[item_arr]
 
 		# for everything else, get it right at the expense of efficiency
diff --git a/tests.py b/tests.py
index feeb9ae..a5b5547 100644
--- a/tests.py
+++ b/tests.py
@@ -185,6 +185,23 @@ def test_degenerate(self):
 		except IndexError:
 			self.fail()
 
+	def test_raises_error_indexing_empty_buffer(self):
+		r = RingBuffer(10)
+		with self.assertRaises(IndexError,
+							   msg="Fails to raise an IndexError when "
+							   "trying to index an empty buffer."):
+			r[0]
+
+	def test_negative_indices_give_recent_data_with_unfull_buffer(self):
+		r = RingBuffer(10)
+		for i in range(5):
+			r.append(i)
+		for i in reversed(range(-len(r), 0)):
+			self.assertAlmostEqual(r[i], r[i+5],
+								   msg="Fails to index from the back of "
+								   "the filled portion of the buffer "
+								   "given a negative index.")
+
 if not hasattr(TestAll, 'assertRaisesRegex'):
 	TestAll.assertRaisesRegex = TestAll.assertRaisesRegexp