Teen Seen Pushing Girl Off Bridge In Viral Video Now Facing Charges
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VANCOUVER, Wash. -- A woman accused of injuring her 16-year-old friend when she pushed the teen off a bridge in Washington state has been charged with reckless endangerment following a shove captured on video that went viral. KGW television station reported Friday that charging documents filed by the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney's office say Taylor Smith, 18, created "a substantial risk of death or serious physical injury" to the 16-year-old girl.
Jordan Holgerson was pushed off a bridge Aug. 7 at Moulton Falls northeast of Vancouver, Washington, and fell 60 feet. She suffered injuries ranging from broken ribs to punctured lungs.
New video obtained by NBC News shows a woman urging Holgerson to jump. In it a woman tells Holgerson to "just go" and "I'm going to push you."
Video that was posted earlier on YouTube and later removed shows Holgerson standing on the bridge with friends. Then a woman is seen forcefully pushing her off the span.
Jordan's sister, Vanessa, told CBS Portland affiliate KOIN she believed Smith "tried to do it jokingly and didn't think what could have happened."
"You don't really play around at 60 feet," Vanessa said.
Reckless endangerment is a gross misdemeanor in Washington state, punishable by up to a year in jail.
It was not immediately clear if Smith had an attorney. She previously told ABC that "apologized several times" and tried to visit her in the hospital but was asked to leave.
Jordan met with media last week, saying she was happy to have survived.
According to KOIN, Jordan said that as she was falling, she "wasn't thinking about anything, just what to do. What am I supposed to do?"
She did say that while she was in the air she tried "to push myself straight so my feet would hit first. That didn't work."
When she hit the water, she said she "couldn't breathe. So that's all I was thinking about."
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