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Vlogger Jeff Wittek is suing YouTube millionaire Dave Dobrik for $10 million after he sustained serious injuries in a 2020 stunt video accident in which he collided with an excavator while being swung by his arm.
Wittek, 32, accused Dobrik, 25, of “general negligence and willful tort” and claimed Dobrik’s actions caused him to collect hospital bills from extensive surgeries and forced him to miss work, according to the lawsuit acquired by TMZ.
The lawsuit alleged that the stunt was Dobrik’s idea and that his operation of the excavator resulted in Wittek’s serious injuries.
Jeff Wittek, 32, in hospital after crushing his skull in nine places and nearly losing his eye in a YouTube stunt gone awry. He blames YouTuber Dave Dobrik for the injury
Dave Dobrik, 25, has previously insisted the stunt was Wittek’s idea and that Wittek asked him to promise not to tell anyone
In June 2020, Dobrik shot a stunt video with his “vlog squad” – a group of friends who frequently appeared in his videos – in which Wittek held on to a rope hanging from the raised arm of a spinning excavator, which Dobrik was in operation.
In the video, Wittek initially appeared to be in control as he spun around the machine, but when it suddenly accelerated, he lost control. The dredger then slows and stops, and Wittek collides hard with his metal arm before falling into the water below, where he was dangling from the rope by his tangled leg.
After the incident, Wittek said his skull was shattered in nine places, he fractured his foot and hip, torn a ligament in his leg and nearly lost his eye.
During the stunt, Wittek was holding on to a rope as he was thrown around by an excavator operated by Dobrik
People rush to help Wittek after he collided with the excavator’s arm and fell into the water
The lawsuit alleged that the original idea for the stunt was to put the dredge in the water and then pull people on wakeboards and other objects along the surface.
Wittek claimed that after a few takes after the original plan, Dobrik suggested that people hold on to the rope themselves while he swung them around on the excavator.
While it was his turn, Wittek claimed that Dobrik realized he had started rotating the excavator too fast and suddenly slowed to compensate, resulting in Wittek colliding directly with the machine’s arm.
Dobrik has previously insisted that the stunt was Wittek’s idea and that Wittek asked him to promise not to tell anyone.
“I think one of the main reasons Jeff is mad at me right now is that he saw me at an interview where I said something I promised him I would keep to myself.” , Dobrik sourly said on his VIEWS podcast in March that I broke a promise.’
“He was like, ‘Can you promise me one thing? Can you promise me that no one will ever know that was my idea?”
“He got hurt because I was driving,” said Dobrik, “that’s it and I bloody well know it and like I said any chance I was given I’d take it back. This will be the biggest regret of my life. my whole life I really hope there isn’t a moment I regret as much as this one.’
Wittek underwent at least nine surgeries after the accident. Not only did he crush his skull, but he almost lost his eye as well
Dobrik (left) and Wittek (right) in better times. The two are reportedly no longer speaking
The two have stopped speaking to each other since the incident, Wittek revealed on his own podcast, Jeff FM, in March, saying that Dobrik did not reach out to him to wish him well following emergency surgery following the accident.
“I’ve protected this guy for so long and there’s so much more to the story than he didn’t text me for a week after I had such drastic surgery that could have left me blind,” Wittek said.
“Imagine you bash someone’s skull in, they take him by the chin, they don’t sue you, they don’t fucking charge you. I almost died, I’m an inch from death and an inch from going blind.’
Dobrik has not responded to requests for comment since news of the lawsuit broke.
