The case of a teenage girl who famously pushed her friend off a bridge in a video that went viral last summer is nearing its conclusion, as the perpetrator, Tay’lor Smith, pleaded guilty on Monday. Smith, 19, accepted a conviction for reckless endangerment, a misdemeanor.
In the video, Jordan Holgerson, 16 at the time, can be seen standing at the edge of a bridge, hesitant about jumping into the water below. A female behind her, who we now know was Smith, can then be seen lunging forward and shoving Holgerson, who plummeted 60 feet, screaming in terror on the way down. Bystanders could be heard reacting with shock.
“It was a really tall bridge, and so she was counting down, but I didn’t think anything of it,” Holgerson recalled, “and I was like, ‘No, don’t count down. I won’t go if you count down. I’m not ready.’ And then, she pushed me.”
Holgerson reportedly suffered broken ribs and injuries to her leg and lungs as a result of the fall. She still suffers other aftereffects.
“I just have these anxiety attacks now, but there’s nothing I can really do about it. But I’m playing softball,” Holgerson told local KOIN. “Kind of on track now, better than it was.”
Smith meanwhile, could avoid time behind bars, as prosecutors are recommending a non-jail sentence as part of her plea agreement. Holgerson was made aware of the deal when it was offered in February, and her mother said it was acceptable.
The actual sentencing, however, will have to wait more than a week, with a hearing scheduled for March 27. Holgerson wished it could have been taken care of already.
“I just want it to be done, I don’t want to wait until next Wednesday,” she said. “I just want it to be done.”
[Image via KOIN screengrab]
