UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) student Elizabeth “Liz” Hamel’s death has been ruled an accidental fall by the UC Police Department (UCPD) following what the agency described as an exhaustive investigation.
Hamel, an 18-year-old freshman from Bellevue, Washington, suffered critical injuries in a fall near San Rafael Hall on the evening of February 14, 2025.
UCPD said officers responded to an emergency call at approximately 10:26 p.m. at San Rafael Hall, near the campus lagoon, where Hamel was found unconscious outside the residence. She was transported to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in critical condition and succumbed to her injuries six days later…