Seventh Victim Dies After Indiana Stage Collapse

Aug. 23, 2011— -- A seventh victim of the stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair has died after she was removed from life support so her organs could be donated.

Meagan Toothman, 24, of Cincinnati, died at 3:30 p.m. Monday, according to the Indiana State Police and the Marion County Coroner's Office. Doctors battled brain swelling after she suffered catastrophic injuries following the August 13 stage collapse.

Toothman was a cheerleading coach at Turpin High School in Cincinnati. She was put into a medically induced coma two days after the tragic stage collapse ahead of a performance by the band Sugarland.

Toothman's family said organ donation "will provide gifts of sight, health and life to dozens who are in need."

"Late last night it became apparent that our Meagan was no longer with us," the family wrote in an online journal. "The decision was made to allow to her to be at peace."

Along with several people who died immediately, at least four dozen others were injured by the stage crash in high winds during a concert Saturday night.

Nearly 12,000 people were gathered to watch a staple of state fairs, live country music, performed by the country music duo Sugarland. Minutes before the band was set to appear on the outdoor stage, winds of up to 70 mph blew down thousands of pounds of steel scaffolding, wooden beams, lighting, sound and other equipment.

The fair's reopening after a day of being closed came as state officials widened their investigation of the cause of the stage's collapse and what role the weather, particularly such a forceful gust wind, might have played.

While many people fled as the massive structure fell under the force of the winds, hundreds rushed to help the victims, many trying to lift the stage to free people trapped underneath.