If a "friend" shoves an unwilling participant off a bridge, it's time to seriously re-evaluate their friendship.
Luckily, 16-year-old Jordan Holgerson is alive after being pushed from behind off the Moulton Falls Bridge over the Lewis River in Yacolt, Washington.
But her sudden plummet caused severe injuries, including, five broken ribs, air bubbles in her chest, a bruised esophagus, an injured trachea, and a punctured lung.
Prior to taking the unexpected plunge, she struggled with her decision to jump and could be heard telling her friends in a cellphone video saying, "No, I won't go in."
Earlier on Tuesday, Holgerson and a group of friends climbed to the top of the bridge. It was her first time there. But once she found herself on the other side of the railing, she was intimidated by the stunt usually attempted by thrill seekers and changed her mind.
Her friends continued pressuring her to jump, even though she said "no," twice.
Then, a man off-camera asked, "Ready?" and that is when she was pushed.
When she hit the water with an audible and disturbing thud, another voice off camera said, "Oh, that's so f****d."
"I could've died," Holgerson told KGW 8 from her hospital bed in PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver.
Genelle Holgerson, the teen's mother, wants the "friend" to come forward and identify herself to authorities for what she did.
She should probably just turn herself in, realize what she did wrong. This is not okay. She could've killed my daughter.
This was over 60 feet. So if she would have fell a different way, she could've become paralyzed.
Holgerson recalled the moment she was falling.
In midair, I think I might have blacked out. I was awake and aware when I hit the water.
Jolgerson, with her mother. (KGW News/YouTube)
Her doctors said the teen is lucky she didn't suffer from internal bleeding. While she's recovering for the next several weeks, Holgerson is prohibited from engaging in physical activity, including sports.
The so-called friend offered an apology, but Holgerson admitted it's not enough.
It could've ended a lot worse. If you're up that high, just make sure you know what you're doing.
People were enraged over the abhorrent incident.
The incident remains under investigation by the Clark County Sheriff's office and it is unclear if the person responsible for shoving Holgerson into the river will be held for criminal charges.
