Friend of Girl Shoved Off Bridge Acknowledges Causing 'Not Only Bodily Harm but Emotional Trauma'

Moulton Falls Bridge
Taylor Smith, 18, pushed her friend, 16-year-old Jordan Holgerson, off the Moulton Falls Bridge in Washington on August 7. Smith claimed Holgerson asked her to push her off the bridge and said she did not... Google Maps

An 18-year-old girl who pushed her friend off a bridge in Washington state acknowledged that she had caused pain but thought her friend would be fine.

Taylor Smith said on Friday she "didn't think about the consequences" when she pushed 16-year-old Jordan Holgerson off the Moulton Falls Bridge, above the Lewis River at Moulton Falls Regional Park in Washington, on August 7. Smith claimed Holgerson asked her to push her off the 60-foot bridge. The fall left the teen with several serious injuries.

"She wanted to jump and she was scared and she had asked me to give her a push, and I didn't think about the consequences," Smith said in an interview with ABC's Good Morning America (GMA). "I thought she would be fine."

The 16-year-old suffered six broken ribs, two punctured lungs, a bruised esophagus and an injured trachea. Her fall was caught in a video that soon went viral on social media.

Holgerson told NBC News on Thursday that initially she did not want Smith to get in trouble but now thinks differently.

"Well, at first I didn't really want Taylor to get in trouble, but now that I've thought about it more, I'm kind of wanting her to sit in jail and think about at least what she did," Holgerson said.

Authorities concluded their investigation into the incident, and on Friday Taylor Smith was charged with one count of reckless endangerment, according to a probable cause statement filed with the Clark County District Court and reviewed by Newsweek.

Smith said on Friday that she would "accept whatever the prosecutor gives me," adding, "I accept whatever the prosecutors think is best for me, considering I caused not only bodily harm but emotional trauma as well. But I just hope for the best."

The 18-year-old also said that she and Holgerson no longer speak. Smith said she reached out to her friend after the incident and "apologized several times." She attempted to visit Holgerson at the hospital but was "asked to leave," ABC News reported.

Smith said that Holgerson at first told her that she was fine and knew that she did not mean to hurt her. "Now she just doesn't answer," Smith told GMA host Michael Strahan.

"I never intended to hurt her ever, nor would I intend to hurt anyone," Smith said. "I'm really sorry it turned out that way. I just pray that she heals and gets better."

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Nicole Rojas is a Breaking News Reporter for Newsweek. Nicole previously worked at International Business Times UK, where she covered breaking ... Read more

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