Promoter Goes After Evel Knievel’s Estate - With Ceasar’s Palace Crash Video
Knievel during his most famous crash jumping the fountain at Ceasar’s Palace, Las Vegas. Video below.
I remember when Evel Knievel shattered this guy’s arm with a baseball bat in the 70’s. Evel was allegedly aiming for his head. Shelly Saltman is one of the more interesting entrepreneurial characters of the last 100 years.
He received a judgement of $12.5 million against Knievel but was never able to collect. With interest and all of that good stuff the amount now exceeds $100 million.
It is definitely easier to get money from a dead man than a live one.
Saltman after the bat incident.
The Ceasar’s Palace crash.
As a result of this crash, Knievel suffered a crushed pelvis and femur, fractures to his hip, wrist and both ankles and a concussion that kept him in a coma for 29 days.
LOS ANGELES- Of all the bones Evel Knievel broke over the years, the costliest may have been the left arm of a PR man by the name of Shelly Saltman. Saltman won $12.75 million in damages against Knievel after the motorcycle daredevil attacked him with a baseball bat in 1977 in a rage over a book Saltman had written about the showman.
With interest, the still-uncollected sum has grown to more than $100 million by Saltman’s estimate, and he intends to try to collect it.
“We are going hot and heavy after his estate,” Saltman told The Associated Press after Knievel died Friday at 69. “What he tried to do to me and how it hurt my family, I’m owed that.”
Whether Knievel’s estate has that kind of money is unclear.
Knievel’s son Kelly would not discuss the size of his father’s estate or comment on the dispute. The daredevil’s longtime friend and promoter, Billy Rundle, declined to discuss the incident in detail. Knievel’s widow, Krystal, was not granting interviews.
(AP)
Saltman has been involved in all kinds of sports promotions including founding the Phoenix Suns, promoting the Ali/Frazier fights, Evel’s Snake River Canyon jump, and he was the first president of Fox Sports.
Be respectful of others and their opinions. Inflammatory remarks and inane leftist drivel will be deleted. It ain’t about free speech, remember you’re in a private domain. My website, my prerogative.
If you can't handle using your real email address, don't bother posting a comment.
Damn - First I have heard of his death. I’ll always remember his attempted jump over the Snake River in his rocket.
Regarding the law suit? If the guy won the suit many years ago and never got a dime, sorry to say, he is entitled to it. IF there IS anything. I seem to remember an older story about Evil being almost broke.
Read under Retirement(s)
http://mensnewsdaily.com/2007/11/30/motorcycle-legend-evel-knievel-dead-at-69/
Sounds like he was STILL having serious financial problems.
December 3rd, 2007 at 11:17 pmSaltman, you are a pile! No wonder the great one went after you with a bat.
I would too if you came near me, you shitbird.
December 3rd, 2007 at 11:43 pmChandler,
Knievel=The great one?
That’s a title for Mark Levin, not the likes of a self-promoting ex-convict who tried to kill Saltman. You would do the same thing, were you in his shoes. He is owed a lot of money and he should go after it any way he can.
December 4th, 2007 at 5:53 amRecently, I did a full one-hour interview with Shelly Saltman to talk about Evel Kneivel, Shelly’s book, and many other topics.
You can listen to a recording of that interview here if you would like: http://www.AskShellySaltman.com
December 4th, 2007 at 6:53 am