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Former Vlog Squad member Jeff Wittek is suing David Dobrik for causing the excavator accident that rendered him bedridden for months. According to TMZ, Dobrik is being sued on accounts of general negligence and intentional tort.
The two were involved in an excavator accident in 2020, where Wittek suffered numerous injuries including a broken foot and hip, a ligament tear, and multiple skull fractures.
Wittek is now seeking an amount of $10 million in damages that include the hospital bills, wage loss and loss of earning capacity.
What went wrong between David Dobrik and Jeff Wittek?
Jeff Wittek and David Dobrik took part in a stunt for the former's YouTube channel in 2020. The idea behind the stunt was to pull people riding wakeboards with the help of an excavator.
As things proceeded, people started riding the excavator with the help of a rope. According to Wittek, Dobrik took things too far during his turn and sped up the vehicle to a point where it started to feel unsafe. After realising his mistake, Dobrik stopped the vehicle abruptly, leading Wittek to slam into the machine with great force.
The incident landed him in the hospital for weeks, almost permanently injuring one of his eyes. Wittek had to undergo several surgeries.
The two YouTubers have since had a tense relationship. Wittek posted a five-art YouTube series called DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME, where he shared his experience in detail. He said that David Dobrik did not communicate with him after his first hospitalization:
"I woke up from surgery. A day goes by, and no text for him. Another day goes by, and no text. I look at his Instagram because it's the first one that always f—ing pops up because of the algorithm or whatever. It's just him like, 'Oh, I'm so happy with my life right now. My vlogs and everything,' just promoting his vlog."
The duo tried to reconcile, with Wittek inviting Dobrik to his channel for an explanation. During their chat, Dobrik shared that it was an accident and in no way intentional.
At the time, Wittek had also said that he wouldn't be pressing charges because the incident was an accident and not entirely Dobrik's fault.
However, around February 2022, Wittek announced that he was done being "fake friends" with Dobrik. He seemed very upset with Dobrik for not checking up with him after his surgeries. He even said:
“Nope. Nope. Not a text or nothing. Not surprised, you know. It is what it is.”
Later in March 2022, David Dobrik commented on Wittek's injury:
“I’m so sorry that this happened to you, Jeff. And I wish it was easier to deal with this.”
The remarks seemed to upset Wittek, who said that he would not "slander" Dobrik on the internet anymore and "let the court decide." It was the first time the YouTuber had hinted at legal action. He added that Dobrik was making untrue statements and wanted to see him accept his mistakes in legal documents.
