Jeff Wittek Sues David Dobrik After Excavator Injury

June 28, 2022

Jeff Wittek is officially suing David Dobrik for 10 million dollars following the almost deadly excavator incident in 2020. Here is a quick recap of the controversy and what you should know ahead of the lawsuit. Jeff Wittek, an American YouTuber, began collaborating with vlogger David Dobrik in 2018. Dobrik accumulated 18 million YouTube subscribers and was known for the crazy vlogs he posted daily with his friends, known as “the Vlog Squad.” In 2020, some fans noticed Wittek had stopped hanging out with Dobrik and no longer appeared in the vlogs. And, when Wittek publicly cut ties with Dobrik, many knew the two were no longer friends, but it seemed unclear why. 

https://twitter.com/Belle_Aubrey_/status/1389358887535628291?s=20&t=Naazk0Lp07IOqNQ_9nxBbQ

In an Instagram caption from 2020, he writes “ I got in an accident and broke my face and skull in a few places. But I’m OK.” But, in a series of YouTube videos from Wittek, he explained his injury.  The accident resulted in a broken foot and hip, tore a ligament in his hip, and shattered his skull in multiple places. His doctor also told him he almost lost his eye and he suffers from lifelong injuries in his brain.  According to Wittek, he wanted to make a funny and entertaining video. He says he has done things like jumping out of an airplane and did not expect this to be any more dangerous. But, as the video shows when Dobrik swung him too fast and seemed to stop abruptly, he was injured by slamming directly into the excavator. 

for the last 3 years i have been working on a documentary about what it means to be one of the most famous influencers in the world. i had no idea where exploring this story would take me. today the documentary premieres at the SXSW Film Festival – https://t.co/QHuPYpfxuv

— Casey Neistat (@Casey) March 12, 2022

This was not the only controversy Dobrik faced, either. Casey Neistat’s documentary about Dobrik began to explore his rising fame on YouTube and ended up capturing the controversies as time went on. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Neistant “unwittingly shot the first interview for this project weeks after what would later emerge as the doc’s central drama: a filmed party in which then-Vlog Squad member Dom Zeglaitis allegedly got an underage woman blackout-drunk and had sex with her in Dobrik’s apartment, all while Dobrik and others celebrated the debauchery from another room,” 

Now, Wittek sues Dobrik for “general negligence and intentional tort” according to legal documents and seeks 10 million dollars for loss of wages and extremely expensive medical bills. He claims that although he agreed to be on the excavator, it was Dobrik’s idea and he swung the machine at “unsafe speeds.”  Although some believe Dobrik is not liable, as Wittek agreed to be on the machine, some believed that since Dobrik suggested the idea and swung the machine too quickly, this leaves him at fault.  Overall, this is just the beginning of the lawsuit which will most likely reveal more details to come.