Sophomore kicker Maikon Bonani was hurt when he fell from a ride during a summer job at a Florida amusement park, both the team and Busch Gardens announced yesterday.
The press release from the school stated that the injuries Bonani suffered were not considered life threatening, while the St. Petersburg Times is reporting the kicker suffered a fractured vertebra as a result of the fall.
“Our entire program is praying for Maikon and happy that the injury was not life threatening,” head coach Jim Leavitt said in a statement. “I was able to visit him tonight. He’s in pain, but doing fine and resting.”
Here’s the statement from Busch Gardens on the events that led up to Bonani’s fall:
On Saturday afternoon, a Busch Gardens Skyride attendant was transported to the hospital.
After sending a gondola out of the station, the attendant thought the door of car might be unlocked and held onto the gondola to check it. The employee held onto the gondola for about 50 feet, and was about 35 feet off the ground when he let go, landing in a landscaped area near Jungala.
There were guests in the Skyride car at the time of the incident, but no one else was injured.
The attendant is conscious and is being transported to hospital as a precaution.
Last season, Bonani connected on 15-of-21 field goals for the Bulls.
There is no word yet on how his injuries will affect his ability to play in 2009.
