Indiana State Fair Stage Collapse Victims Agree to Settlement

The estates of all seven people killed in August's stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair have accepted settlements from the state, WRTV reports. Each will receive $300,000, while an additional 58 survivors will split the remainder of the $5 million set aside to compensate those affected by the tragedy.

Following the disaster, which occurred on Aug. 13, shortly before country duo Sugarland were set to take the stage, more than 100 tort claims were filed against the state. According to the office of Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller, 63 of 65 claimants have accepted the state's settlement, and efforts are being made to contact the other two.

While a total of 114 individuals had sought money, the state limited its payouts to those who submitted medical records.

"We had to make some very difficult decisions about which injured victims would receive payments out of a limited pool of funds available," Zoeller told the TV station earlier this month. "No amount of money can ever replace the lives lost or alleviate the anguish endured by the victims of our state fair tragedy."

Sugarland, meanwhile, remain the subject of a lawsuit filed last month by 51 people affected by the accident. Promoters and stage crew were also named in that action. Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles told ABC she doesn't feel responsibility for what happened that night, but rather a "sense of connection."

"There are no words for that kind of tragedy," said the powerhouse vocalist. "There will always be a before that happened and an after that happened."