Teen Who Pushed Friend Off 60-Foot Bridge Says She ‘Didn’t Think About the Consequences’

An 18-year-old girl who allegedly pushed her friend off a bridge in Washington state said she “didn’t think about the consequences” prior to doing so.

Taylor Smith spoke out Thursday about the Aug. 7 incident involving her and her 16-year-old friend Jordan Holgerson. Viral video footage shows the moment Smith pushed Holgerson off Vancouver’s Moulton Falls — leaving Smith with multiple injuries including broken ribs and punctured lungs after she plunged more than 50 feet into the Lewis River, according to the Associated Press.

Smith said she pushed Holgerson off the bridge because her friend had asked her to.

“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 Thursday on Good Morning America. “I thought she would be fine.”

In the video, Holgerson is seen in a bikini on the other side of the bridge’s railing without holding on. A few seconds in, Smith is seen pushing her friend, who flails as she falls into the water. Two days after the incident, Holgerson said in an interview with KATU-TV that she had wanted to jump off the bridge after she saw a friend jump first.

In a recent interview with NBC News, Holgerson said she wants Smith to face consequences for pushing her. “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.

Smith told GMA the two have been “pretty close” friends for years. While she hasn’t seen Holgerson since the incident, Smith said she hopes they can be friends again.

“I love that girl,” she said. “I never intended to hurt her, ever. I’m really sorry it turned out that way.”

The Clark County sheriff’s Office investigated the incident and has forwarded the case to the prosecutor’s office, which is in charge of deciding whether to file charges against Smith.