Monday deadline nears for stage collapse victims

INDIANAPOLIS — Relatives of the seven people killed in the Indiana State Fair stage collapse have only hours left to accept the state’s proposal to claim a portion of the $5 million available for compensation.

State officials say signed settlement acceptance documents must be faxed to the state’s claims administrator, scanned and emailed or postmarked by midnight Monday night.

Last week, Attorney General Greg Zoeller ((ZEL’-ur) offered at least $300,000 to families of each of the seven people who died after the stage collapsed Aug. 13 at the fair.

The rest of the money from the state’s $5 million tort fund would go to 58 other people injured when powerful winds toppled the stage onto fans waiting to see country duo Sugarland.