A University of South Florida placekicker was hurt Saturday at Busch Gardens Africa when he fell 35 feet from a Skyride gondola.

Maikon Bonani hadn’t locked the door on a gondola, and it left the station. He noticed and held on as it climbed. Two of the passengers tried to pull him into the gondola, but he fell and landed in some bushes.

The 20-year-old cracked a vertebra in his back. The three passengers were not injured.

In new developments, it was found that the accident happened about 30 minutes before his shift was to end, and it was his final day of working at the park.

A Busch Gardens spokeswoman said the door was unlocked when it left the station but was locked at the other station. Park officials don’t know if a passenger or Bonani locked the door.

For more information, visit Tampa Bay Online and a Tampa Bay Online blog.

Tags: BGA, Busch, Busch Gardens, Busch Gardens Africa, South Florida, USF