BOSTON (AP) – A pair of improper bolts caused an amusement park ride to break apart at a church fair over the weekend, killing one person and injuring two others, the state’s commissioner of public safety said Monday.

The accident occurred Sunday afternoon on the Sizzler ride at St. Mary’s Church and parochial school in Shrewsbury. Andrew R. Fohlin, 38, was killed after being thrown from the ride and hitting his head on the pavement. Two others were injured. All three were residents of a nearby home for the mentally retarded.

Commissioner Thomas Gatzunis said the 11 Sizzlers licensed to operate in Massachusetts, including one at the Eastern States Exposition in Springfield, have had their permits suspended while the state investigates the incident.

The car in which Fohlin was seated was attached to the ride with two bolts – one was too small and the other had been altered. Neither met the manufacturer’s specifications, Gatzunis said.

The bolt that was too small broke as the ride was operating, causing the footrest and lap restraint to come loose. Fohlin and another man were thrown from the ride.

The other man, 48-year-old David Mills, was in serious but stable condition Monday at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, District Attorney John Conte said.

Dianne Derosier, 44, who was in another car, was treated for minor injuries and released. Gatzunis said she was likely hit by debris when the ride came apart.

Fohlin, Mills and Derosier were residents of the Glavin Regional Center in Shrewsbury, a state-run facility for the mentally retarded. Gatzunis said their disabilities played no role in Sunday’s incident.

“That had absolutely no bearing on this specific accident at all,” he said.

The problems with the Sizzler would not have been detected by a state inspector, because the bolts are not visible without removing parts of the machine. Inspections of specific parts, such as bolts, are done by insurance companies. Gatzunis said he did not know the name of the insurance company in this case, nor when the last insurance inspection had been conducted.

The ride is owned by Jaro Amusements, of Carlisle, which bought it used two years ago, according to Gatzunis. Company officials had said they would not comment until the state investigation was complete. A call seeking comment Monday afternoon was not immediately returned.

Gatzunis said Jaro has had no previous safety violations and the company participated in the 2002 rewriting of safety procedures at traveling carnivals and permanent amusement parks.

After the Legislature enacted those changes, the Department of Public Safety drew up a set of regulations requiring state safety inspectors to check all rides.

But the regulation allows for the inspections to happen after the ride has already started running.

“That may be a nuance in the regulation that will need to be revisited,” said Stephen Brewer, D-Barre, a member of the Public Safety Committee.

Brewer said it’s too soon to say what, if any, legislative action should be taken.

Members of Congress asked the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission Monday to assist Massachusetts with the investigation. The agency has jurisdiction over such rides.

“While many amusement park ride accidents are blamed on rider error, initial reports in this case suggest some catastrophic mechanical failure,” said Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass. “We must find out why these machines flew apart so that the manufacturers and/or the operators make sure this never happens again.”

The ride has three rotating arms, each carrying four rotating sets of two-seat cars in the design of classic 1950s automobiles. The ride is about three feet off the ground.

AP-ES-09-20-04 1748EDT