Indiana Claim Deadline Passes

At least 90 claims were filed by victims of the deadly Aug. 13 stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair by the Nov. 1 deadline, and that number could go much higher as the Attorney General’s office accepts claims received after, but postmarked by, the cutoff.

The claims cover everything from death of loved ones and serious injuries to emotional distress. But individuals can collect no more than $700,000 and state law limits the total cash pool to $5 million. The families of the seven who died and those who were seriously injured will get priority.

“This is still a very fluid process,” Attorney General spokesman Bryan Corbin said, adding that officials are close to completing it. And some who filed claims will likely receive no money from the pool.

Attorney Kenneth Allen, representing families of three people who died, said that if the state pays out the $700,000 maximum to all of those families, that will eat up $4.9 million of the $5 million, leaving about $100,000 for everyone else.

“How do you then compensate someone who says he was emotionally distressed when you’ve got to compare it to a claim from someone who lost her spouse?” Allen said.

Indiana Rep. Ed DeLaney of Indianapolis, where the collapse occurred, told WCSI-AM he intends to introduce a bill to establish a one-time increase to, or possibly elimination of, the $5 million cap in order to benefit collapse victims.

A separate State Fair Relief Fund to assist victims was to accept claims until Nov. 14. It consists of donations to help victims who were hospitalized as a result of the collapse.

And attorneys also are considering lawsuits against others involved in the Sugarland concert, which was about to take place when a gust of wind toppled the stage onto concertgoers.

“There’s not just one pocket here,” said Karen Celestino-Horseman, who represents a stagehand who sustained back and head injuries in the collapse.