Teen Who Dropped Off 60-Foot Bridge Wants Pusher in Jail

A teen who was injured after being pushed off a Washington state bridge said that she wants her pusher in jail.

Jordan Holgerson, 16, told NBC News’ Today that her friend who pushed her should get jail time. According to The Columbian newspaper, the woman was identified as Taylor Smith, 18. Smith is cooperating with investigators.

“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 told Today on Aug. 16.

Police have finished their investigation into the matter and have passed on the case to the Clark County prosecutor’s office for potential criminal charges against Smith, 18. The pushing incident was captured on video, showing Holgerson hesitant on the top of a bridge before someone pushes her.

Smith, meanwhile, told Today that she “feels really bad about what happened,” and she didn’t intend to harm Holgerson. She has apologized to her, according to the Today report.

But Holgerson said that the apology isn’t good enough. “I kind of got mad because the rest of my summer’s gone and I’m probably going to be recovering for the rest of the school year,” she said.

“I was like, ‘I want to jump off the bridge,’ and so I went up there, but I kind of got scared because of how high it was,” Holgerson added to the outlet.

Holgerson elaborated on her recovery.

“I’m in a lot of pain,” she told the outlet. “In the mornings it’s the worst, like it hurts to breathe. My side hurts. My shoulder hurts. I can’t even get up.”

The bridge over the Lewis River’s East Fork at Moulton Falls Regional Park. Screenshot/KGW

‘No Diving Off the Bridge’

KGW-TV reported that someone had to swim out to rescue her before she was rushed to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver, Washington. “I have five broken ribs, air bubbles in my chest and I have a punctured lung,” she said.

“This could have been horrible; she could have died,” said Holgerson’s surgeon MaryClare Sarff in the KGW report.

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A trauma surgeon also told The Columbian that it may take months for her to fully heal.

Her mother, meanwhile, told CBS News that the person who pushed her daughter off the bridge should turn herself into the police. “My daughter’s going to have a long road to recovery and I think that [the person responsible] should probably just turn herself in—realize what she did wrong. This is not OK. She could have killed my daughter,” Genelle Holgerson said.

The arch bridge is more than three stories high, to the Clark County Public Works website says.  “Please, no diving off of the bridge,” the agency says. “Swimming is allowed at Moulton Falls Regional Park. However, there are no lifeguards on duty. The river can have swift currents and water depths can vary. Park users swim at their own risk. Parents are urged to be vigilant watching children near the water,” it says.