After being “canceled” and apparently abandoned by his main sponsors David Dobrik is again under fire for his involvement in the crash involving his “Vlog Squad” partner Jeff Wittek.
The 24-year-old was at the center of controversy a couple of weeks ago when a woman came forward alleging that a Vlog Squad member, “Durte” Dom Zeglaitis, sexually assaulted her in 2018. Dobrik was responsible for filming the woman entering the room, as well as allegedly buying the alcohol for the woman and her friends, who were not of legal drinking age at the time.
In a new documentary series that launches in segments every few days, Jeff Wittek tells the story of his near-death experience and how it all happened and says David Dobrik was the man behind the crash.
TW: Never before have I felt so angry with a silly influencer. David Dobrik needs to be stopped. He has always been irresponsible at the expense of his friends for YOUTUBE videos. He COULD have been charged with manslaughter if Jeff had been inch closer to the bulldozer. IM LIVIDDDDD pic.twitter.com/eT2wEde46k
– Kat @katmauvearts April 22, 2021
How did Jeff Wittek’s accident happen?
Before COVID-19 arrived in the U.S. And, more specifically, in California, Dobrik and his Vlog Squad were one of the most popular YouTube groups. They enjoyed immense success before the pandemic caused Dobrik to stop publishing his vlogs as regularly as before. This would play a key role in Wittek’s accident.
About a year later, Dobrik had started planning his “return vlog” and making a big re-entry into the social media platform. Some of his friends, Wittek included, jumped out of a plane hundreds of times. Although he was supposed to join them, Dobrik rescued himself at the last minute because he wanted to keep playing video games.
Days later, friends and other members of the Vlog Squad gathered to record more videos for their YouTube channels and Dobrik’s vlog. They went to a small lake with a huge bulldozer for a dangerous maneuver that Dobrik thought would be good for the views.
The excavator trick
The idea was for them to attach a rope to the crane, place it in the middle of the 1-foot-deep lake and turn it in circles while someone held on while surfing or wakeboard.la excavator crane and simply moving people wildly.
Dobrik was the person who controlled the bulldozer. He had one hand on the controls and another holding his camera to capture the vlog images. It was rumored that no one had obtained a license, as required, to operate the excavator.
In Wittek’s second episode of his documentary, the scene is revealed at the end of the video. Corinna Kopf, a member of Vlog Squad, was the first and quickly begged to be disappointed. She said, “You take things too far, referring to Dobrik and his stunts.
As Wittek mentions in the video, he was on high after making so many jumps from a plane that he was willing to do just about anything for good content, so he was next on the bulldozer.
“I didn’t know I was going to go so fast. So I grabbed the rope and tried to make a funny video for people. But this is where I made a mistake. An idiot I know was driving him,” Wittek said in the video, just before footage shows him banging, headfirst, against the side of the excavator crane.
Wittek would later be rushed to the hospital, where he has since undergone numerous surgeries. Fortunately, he was able to maintain vision in both eyes.
Although many details are still unknown as the rest of the documentary has yet to be released, Wittek has said during the promotion that he now has a metal plate on his head. He has also needed multiple eye surgeries to save the eye that was impacted by the accident.
The release of the documentary caused an eruption on social media, and many expressed their opinions about David Dorbik and did not hold back.
Another person said “Jeff, Natalie and Tod literally jump off the plane 5-7 times a day to prepare for David’s ‘comeback video’, and David is at home playing games.” pic.twitter.com/xrgESJi8X8
– Def Noodles @defnoodles 22 April 2021
Reaction to Dobrik’s irresponsible antics is growing
Many people turned to social media, specifically Twitter, following the release of the second episode of Wittek’s video documentary. The outrage that followed the rape allegations grew once again as new news circulated that Dobrik was responsible for nearly taking his friend’s life.
“David gives the impression that he has not the slightest respect for anyone but himself. He treats others terribly for his own benefit because he is so self-centered that he cannot or chooses not to see how it hurts them,” the Twitter user wrote.
Many wonder how Dobrik hasn’t been sued yet. Either by Wittek or the state of California for Dobrik’s illegal use of a bulldozer without a license/permit. Many just want to see it canceled or off-stage from YouTube so no one else gets hurt.
After the second episode of the documentary, many found a video that has resurfaced of Dobrik telling the story of how he negatively affected his friend Alex’s life by a “pineapple fight.”
YOUTUBE ARCHAEOLOGY: David Dobrik describes how he ruined his friend Alex’s life after he threw a pineapple in his eye. This video reappears after Jeff Wittek posts a video showing David operating the excavator that caused his accident. pic.twitter.com/5t6zANvq5S
– Def Noodles @defnoodles 22 April 2021
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It’s clear that the two accidents are different scenarios, but both have similar results, and social media quickly noticed it.
Following the release of an insider article exposing Dobrik’s involvement in the rape incident, he allegedly lost 322,000 followers on Instagram. Wittek’s documentary is sure to cause that number to drop even further. It is currently just below the 14 million follower mark on the platform.
Jeff Witteck almost died filming one of David Dobrik’s vlogs, he has lifelong wounds, both physically and mentally. I can’t believe how irresponsible you can be when you’re willing to risk your “friend’s” life for content. There is a serious lack of empathy and common sense. pic.twitter.com/ZNcwHjHcA7
– there @allisonprivera 20 april 2021
What could happen next for Wittek and Dobrik?
Jeff Wittek is still recovering from the accident with surgeries still on the table, but he appears to be in much better shape since the crash, which is said to have occurred in June 2020.
The 30-year-old has recently been promoting the release of his documentary, and we’re all glad he’s alive and well.
As for Dobrik, it’s sure to be trending at least for the next few weeks as more images come out. Apparently, there is a video of Dobrik reflecting on the incident and exposing his own perspective.
It seems that he is far from escaping the spotlight and the consequences of his actions.
