diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index ef41b1c..51a77d1 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -167,6 +167,7 @@ if(RAPIDCSV_BUILD_TESTS)
   if(HAS_CODECVT)
     add_unit_test(test085)
   endif()
+  add_unit_test(test086)
 
   # perf tests
   add_perf_test(ptest001)
diff --git a/src/rapidcsv.h b/src/rapidcsv.h
index 9831f3e..f27372e 100644
--- a/src/rapidcsv.h
+++ b/src/rapidcsv.h
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
  * rapidcsv.h
  *
  * URL:      https://github.com/d99kris/rapidcsv
- * Version:  8.52
+ * Version:  8.53
  *
  * Copyright (C) 2017-2021 Kristofer Berggren
  * All rights reserved.
@@ -568,9 +568,22 @@ namespace rapidcsv
       {
         if (std::distance(mData.begin(), itRow) > mLabelParams.mColumnNameIdx)
         {
-          T val;
-          converter.ToVal(itRow->at(columnIdx), val);
-          column.push_back(val);
+          if (columnIdx < static_cast<ssize_t>(itRow->size()))
+          {
+            T val;
+            converter.ToVal(itRow->at(columnIdx), val);
+            column.push_back(val);
+          }
+          else
+          {
+            const std::string errStr = "requested column index " +
+              std::to_string(columnIdx - (mLabelParams.mRowNameIdx + 1)) + " >= " +
+              std::to_string(itRow->size() - (mLabelParams.mRowNameIdx + 1)) +
+              " (number of columns on row index " +
+              std::to_string(std::distance(mData.begin(), itRow) -
+                             (mLabelParams.mColumnNameIdx + 1)) + ")";
+            throw std::out_of_range(errStr);
+          }
         }
       }
       return column;
diff --git a/tests/test086.cpp b/tests/test086.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e34185e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test086.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+// test086.cpp - exception message reading out-of-range column
+
+#include <rapidcsv.h>
+#include "unittest.h"
+
+int main()
+{
+  int rv = 0;
+
+  std::string csv =
+    "-,A,B,C\n"
+    "1,3,9,81\n"
+    "2,4,16\n"
+  ;
+
+  std::string path = unittest::TempPath();
+  unittest::WriteFile(path, csv);
+
+  try
+  {
+    rapidcsv::Document doc(path, rapidcsv::LabelParams(0, 0));
+
+    unittest::ExpectEqual(std::string, doc.GetColumnName(0), "A");
+    unittest::ExpectEqual(std::string, doc.GetColumnName(1), "B");
+    unittest::ExpectEqual(std::string, doc.GetColumnName(2), "C");
+
+    ExpectExceptionMsg(doc.GetColumn<int>(2), std::out_of_range,
+                       "requested column index 2 >= 2 (number of columns on row index 1)");
+    ExpectExceptionMsg(doc.GetColumn<int>("C"), std::out_of_range,
+                       "requested column index 2 >= 2 (number of columns on row index 1)");
+    ExpectExceptionMsg(doc.GetColumn<int>(3), std::out_of_range,
+                       "requested column index 3 >= 3 (number of columns on row index 0)");
+  }
+  catch (const std::exception& ex)
+  {
+    std::cout << ex.what() << std::endl;
+    rv = 1;
+  }
+
+  unittest::DeleteFile(path);
+
+  return rv;
+}
diff --git a/tests/unittest.h b/tests/unittest.h
index 4126a54..606c035 100644
--- a/tests/unittest.h
+++ b/tests/unittest.h
@@ -47,6 +47,50 @@
   while (0)
 
 
+#define ExpectExceptionMsg(expr, excp, msg)                                                   \
+  do                                                                                          \
+  {                                                                                           \
+    bool success = false;                                                                     \
+    try                                                                                       \
+    {                                                                                         \
+      expr;                                                                                   \
+    }                                                                                         \
+    catch (const excp& ex)                                                                    \
+    {                                                                                         \
+      if (std::string(ex.what()) == msg)                                                      \
+      {                                                                                       \
+        success = true;                                                                       \
+      }                                                                                       \
+      else                                                                                    \
+      {                                                                                       \
+        std::stringstream ss;                                                                 \
+        ss << unittest::detail::FileName(__FILE__) << ":" << std::to_string(__LINE__);        \
+        ss << " ExpectExceptionMsg failed: unexpected exception message '" << ex.what();      \
+        ss << "'." << std::endl;                                                              \
+        throw std::runtime_error(ss.str());                                                   \
+      }                                                                                       \
+    }                                                                                         \
+    catch (const std::exception& ex)                                                          \
+    {                                                                                         \
+      std::stringstream ss;                                                                   \
+      ss << unittest::detail::FileName(__FILE__) << ":" << std::to_string(__LINE__);          \
+      ss << " ExpectExceptionMsg failed: unexpected exception '" << typeid(ex).name();        \
+      ss << "' thrown." << std::endl;                                                         \
+      throw std::runtime_error(ss.str());                                                     \
+    }                                                                                         \
+                                                                                              \
+    if (!success)                                                                             \
+    {                                                                                         \
+      std::stringstream ss;                                                                   \
+      ss << unittest::detail::FileName(__FILE__) << ":" << std::to_string(__LINE__);          \
+      ss << " ExpectException failed: expected exception '" << #excp << "' not thrown.";      \
+      ss << std::endl;                                                                        \
+      throw std::runtime_error(ss.str());                                                     \
+    }                                                                                         \
+  }                                                                                           \
+  while (0)
+
+
 namespace unittest
 {
   namespace detail