On August 23, 1996, at 0820 central daylight time, a Cameron Balloon O-65, N2035C, registered to and operated by a private owner under Title 14 CFR Part 91, received minor damage during a hard landing near Clinton, Louisiana. The commercial instructor pilot received serious injuries, and the student pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the balloon cross country instructional flight, that originated near Zachary, Louisiana, approximately 45 minutes before the accident. No flight plan was filed. The balloon instructor reported to the investigator-in-charge that he and his student had been practicing touch-and-go landings. When they landed for the third time, the instructor sustained a broken ankle. The instructor stated that the "approach and landing were normal in my estimation and the landing was not excessively hard. I just must have failed to brace properly."