David Dobrik isn’t laughing now in the aftermath of a prank-gone-wrong. The YouTube personality is currently being sued for $10 million by his former Vlog Squad member Jeff Wittak.
In June 2020, Jeff participated in a prank to create vlog content, which involved the group placing an excavator vehicle in water and jumping off a rope attached to the machine’s top. When it came Jeff’s turn to swing, David was driving the excavator. But the rope came swinging into Jeff’s face before he could grab, causing serious damages, particularly to his face, eyes, and skull.
Now, Jeff is hoping to hold David financially responsible for the incident. According to E! News, court documents revealed that Jeff is suing for "general negligence and intentional tort.” He specifically argues that David was using the excavator at “unsafe speeds,” which caused the collision.
The million-dollar settlement he’s hoping for will go towards "wage loss, hospital and medical expenses, and loss of earning capacity."
Jeff opened up about his injuries on Instagram shortly after it happened. "I got in an accident and broke my face and skull in a few places. But I'm OK,” he wrote alongside photos of himself with visible injuries.
He continued, "I'm more alive than ever. I'll heal up good as new, and I'll get some new pics of that mullet up as soon as they can get me a blow dryer up to my hospital room."
Although David hasn’t commented on the pending lawsuit, he’s spoken out about the near-fatal stunt to express his regret. During a March episode of his VIEWS video podcast, David stated, "The Jeff thing is the f--king worst. That day is like, the worst, the worst thing that's ever happened to me and I wish I would f--king do anything to take that day back and be like.”
The social media star appeared to take responsibility for the accident later in the episode.
"At the end of the day, I was the one f--king driving it. It was my video,” David continued. “He got hurt because I was driving. That's it and I f--king know that and like I said, any chance I would get, I would take that back.”
The YouTube went on to describe the accident as “the biggest regret of my life,” saying “there’s not a moment that I regret as much as that one.”
Sources: E! News, Entertainment Tonight, Instagram @jeff,