A fundraiser established following the mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest musical festival in Las Vegas last fall has received nearly $31.5 million in donations slated for the families of victims killed and several hundred survivors.
The Las Vegas Victims’ Fund has received $31,470,794 in donations to be distributed among 532 claimants, including over 150 victims hospitalized as a result of injuries sustained during the Oct. 1 shooting and the relatives of 58 who were killed, organizers announced this week.
The funds were expected to start being divvied up among claimants beginning this Monday, organizers said in an announcement.
A maximum payout of $275,000 will be given to 68 different claimants, including the families of 58 victims slain in the shooting and 10 survivors who suffered either permanent paralysis or brain damage, according to a chart released by the fund.
Fourteen different victims who were hospitalized for 24 days or longer will each receive $200,000, according to the chart. Another 133 victims who incurred hospital stays ranging from one to 23 days will receive between $17,500 and $150,000 apiece, depending on the length of their hospitalization, according to the chart.
Another 317 victims who were physically injured but not hospitalized overnight will receive payouts distributed from an allotment of $2.5 million, organizers said.
All of the 532 claimants should be compensated by the end of March, organizers end.
The nearly $32 million raised by the LVVF was made possible by more than 90,000 donors from around the world, including the Vegas Strong benefit concert in December that raised roughly $700,000, according to organizers.
“The love and support shown for the families and survivors of the 1 October tragedy was tremendous,” said Scott Nielson, the chairman of the fund’s committee. “We recognize, however, that money cannot replace a life lost or forever changed due to this tragic event. What the committee worked hard to do was distribute the gifts given by tens of thousands of people in a way that would help those families and survivors most severely impacted by 1 October.”
A total of 58 people were killed and 851 injured during the Oct. 1 country music festival on the Las Vegas Strip. Police said Stephen Paddock, 64, conducted the rampage from the 32nd floor of a hotel overlooking the festival before taking his own life.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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