Illinois coaster enthusiast, regular at Six Flags Great America reacts to tragic Six Flags rollercoaster death

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Tragedy unfolded Monday in Georgia, where a man died after being flung from a rollercoaster ride.

The 42-year-old father of two was riding the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags over Georgia with his son when he was somehow ejected from the ride.

In response, Six Flags closed several similar coasters across the country, including one at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois, the closest six flags to Michiana.

The Raging Bull coaster there has been shut down because of its similarities to the Goliath in Georgia.

One coaster enthusiast tells ABC57 the tragedy in Georgia hits too close to home.

Aaron Shriver rode the Goliath roller coaster at Six flags just this past summer; it was one of five times on the ride this year.

In a video captured on his Meta glasses, Shriver and his wife are seen trying to click the coaster's restraints tighter to their bodies.

He says it's a thing him and his wife do on coasters with this specific kind of restraint.

"Because one, I always wish those kinds of styles had a seatbelt, and that's one thing that I always say when I get on Raging Bull here at Great America. Like, man, I love this ride. It's one of my favorite rides in the park. I wish I had that seatbelt," says Aaron Shriver, an Illinois coaster enthusiast.

Shriver and his family are avid coaster enthusiasts; they live minutes away from Six Flags Great America in Gurnee and just wrapped up a recent trip touring several parks across the country.

"Twenty-one days to the tee, we were gone to thirteen different amusement parks, road about a hundred different roller coasters," explains Shriver.

That's why after hearing of Monday's tragic incident on the Goliath coaster that killed a man, he says it's a sad day for enthusiasts everywhere.

"I do know the guy that they named today as being the victim is in a lot of these coaster groups that I'm in. So, there's one that I think was like Roller Coaster Enthusiast it's called on Facebook, and he's a part of that. So, he was one of us," Shriver says.

"I can't stop thinking about that guy today, but he was by size, he was by age, and so I think about that. He was a family of four. We're a family of four, so those are the things that really hit me today and made it like a sad day because I put myself in those shoes because I don't know, if that was me, I don't know what I would have done."

Six Flags shut down coasters nationwide similar to the Goliath out of an abundance of caution, including one of Shriver's favorites, the Raging Bull.

"Three days ago, we were at Great America, we rode Raging Bull about three of four times that night, and we don't know if we can ride it again," says Shriver.

Shriver hopes his home park will consider adding an extra restraint on the coaster, like a seat belt, to ensure extra safety for future riders.

"I hope people don't take this incident and be like, "Oh, I'm never going to ride a roller coaster again,'" hopes Shriver. "Because it's just like flying. It's just like driving. It's just like anything. Accidents happen, and as long as they're managed right and they're looked into and investigated, they don't happen again."

Six Flags has not said when they expect these rides, including the Raging Bull to open back up, just that they are temporarily paused while they investigate what happened Monday in Georgia.

Six flags Great America's season ends after November first.