diff --git a/include/DYListData.h b/include/DYListData.h
index 6aec970..36df8da 100644
--- a/include/DYListData.h
+++ b/include/DYListData.h
@@ -9,16 +9,18 @@ namespace DaqGrimoire {
     namespace Data
     {
         static constexpr std::size_t Size = 24;
+		static constexpr uint16_t InvalidBoard = 999;
+		static constexpr uint16_t InvalidChannel = 999;
     }
 
 	struct DYListData
 	{
-        uint16_t board;
-        uint16_t channel;
-        uint64_t timestamp;
-        uint32_t energy;
-        uint32_t energyShort;
-        uint32_t flags;
+        uint16_t board = Data::InvalidBoard;
+        uint16_t channel = Data::InvalidChannel;
+        uint64_t timestamp = 0;
+        uint32_t energy = 0;
+        uint32_t energyShort = 0;
+        uint32_t flags = 0;
 	};
 
 	namespace Utils
diff --git a/include/FileIO/DYFileReader.h b/include/FileIO/DYFileReader.h
index 63ba01b..92a7a37 100644
--- a/include/FileIO/DYFileReader.h
+++ b/include/FileIO/DYFileReader.h
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ namespace DaqGrimoire {
 				m_fileHandle->close();
 		}
 
-		bool GetNextEvent(DYListData& dataEvent)
+		bool ReadNextEvent()
 		{
 			if (!IsOpen() || IsEOF())
 				return false;
@@ -76,11 +76,13 @@ namespace DaqGrimoire {
 					return false;
 			}
 
-			Utils::GetDataEventFromBuffer(m_bufferIter, dataEvent);
+			Utils::GetDataEventFromBuffer(m_bufferIter, m_dataEvent);
 
 			return true;
 		}
 
+		const DYListEvent& GetCurrentEvent() const { return m_dataEvent; }
+
 
 		const bool IsOpen() const { return m_fileHandle == nullptr ? false : m_fileHandle->is_open(); }
 		const bool IsEOF() const { return m_isEOF; }
@@ -103,7 +105,6 @@ namespace DaqGrimoire {
 			m_bufferEnd = m_bufferIter + m_fileHandle->gcount(); //one past the last datum
 		}
 
-		
 
 		std::filesystem::path m_filepath;
 		std::shared_ptr<std::ifstream> m_fileHandle;
@@ -114,6 +115,8 @@ namespace DaqGrimoire {
 		std::size_t m_fileSizeBytes; //in bytes
 		std::size_t m_fileSizeEvents; //in data events
 
+		DYListData m_dataEvent;
+
 		bool m_isEOF;
 
 		char* m_bufferIter;