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UPDATE: Fund for state fair victims rises to $242K

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A fund set up to take donations for those injured in the Indiana State Fair stage collapse has raised more than $240,000, but how the money will be distributed has yet to be determined, organizers said Tuesday.

Central Indiana Community Foundation spokesman Mike Knight said the State Fair Remembrance Fund contained $242,404 as of Tuesday.

That total includes $64,753 donated by Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, who pledged to give $1 per ticket distributed for the team's Aug. 19 preseason game against Washington.

The tally doesn't include donations expected from a concert by Train and Maroon 5 that was moved from the state fairgrounds to Conseco Fieldhouse. Knight previously said the Aug. 18 concert was expected to raise at least $300,000 for the fund.

State fair commission spokeswoman Stephanie McFarland said officials have earmarked the money to be placed in the fund as soon as possible and hopes to have legal details sorted out in about a week.

Strong winds toppled a state fair stage onto fans waiting to see country band Sugarland perform Aug. 13, leading to seven deaths and leaving dozens injured.

Sugarland has announced plans for a special concert to benefit the stage-collapse victims, but organizers said Tuesday they were still seeking a date and venue.

The fund continues to grow as some victims still struggle to recover, including several that remain hospitalized. They include:

— Brad Humphrey, 17, of Indianapolis, who suffered a spine injury;

— Andrea Vellinga of Pendleton, who suffered a severe head injury;

— Shannon Walcott and her daughter Jade, 10. Shannon suffered broken ribs, vertebrae and a broken pelvis, and an online posting by her family says she's still dealing with pain and other issues. Jade has a severe head injury and is still hospitalized at Riley Hospital for Children.

Knight said officials were still trying to work out a system for distributing the money.


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