Washington teen who pushed friend off bridge charged with reckless endangerment

CLARK COUNTY, Wash. -- A teenager who pushed her friend off a 50-foot bridge into a river in a now viral video said she was doing what she thought her friend wanted and never meant to hurt her. That teenager has now been charged with reckless endangerment.

"It just went south fast," Taylor Smith told Good Morning America on Friday morning. "I'm really sorry it turned out that way. I just pray that she heals and gets better."

The friend, Jordan Holgeron, wound up in the hospital. On Friday, Smith, 18, was charged with reckless endangerment, which is a gross misdemeanor.

According to the charging documents, Holgeron sustained "six broken ribs, a punctured lung, air bubbles in her chest and significant trauma to large portions of her skin surface."

Smith said she wasn't thinking about the consequences in the moment. In the video, the group of teens is standing around the edge of the bridge overlooking the Lewis River.

"She wanted to jump and she was scared and she had asked me to give her a push," Smith said. "I thought she'd be fine."

Holgeron, however, told authorities that the push was unwanted, according to the charging documents.

In the video, Smith can be seen pushing her friend, and Holgeron tumbles into the water below. Holgeron said in an interview that she tried to put herself upright mid-air to lessen the impact, but she couldn't do it.

The teens knew pretty quickly that Holgeron had been injured.

"I was with her when she came out of the water and I knew something was wrong," Smith recalled.

Holgeron was taken to the hospital, and Smith hasn't seen her since. She said she tried to visit in the hospital but was asked to leave. She also said Holgeron was forgiving in text messages at first but has since cut off communication.

Smith said she was a little shocked to hear that Holgeron supported jail time for her, but she understands that she's going through a lot.

"It's scary," Smith said. "I accept whatever the prosecutor thinks is best for me, considering I caused not only bodily harm, but emotional trauma as well."

As to whether the two can ever be friends again, Smith said she really hopes so.

"I love that girl," she said. "It's up to her. The ball's in her court."