If you grew up in the nineties, it’s highly likely that you spent a lot of time watching Nickelodeon. Classic shows like “Clarissa Explains It All,” “Hey Dude,” and “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” helped to impart some moral lessons while keeping us entertained and, most importantly, out of our parents’ hair. Perhaps one of the most well-known of these programs was “The Secret World of Alex Mack,” about a teenage girl infused with special powers after an accident involving a truck from a nearby chemical plant. Well, hold on to your hats, because we may have found her successor!
Meet 12-year-old Ethan Ryland of Troy, Missouri. Just last week, Ethan was walking home from school, minding his own business, when a truck containing hazardous chemicals suddenly veered off the road, spilling its contents while simultaneously striking him!
Whoa, pretty cool!
So, what do we know about the vehicle that struck Ethan? Well, according to local sources, the driver had been employed by a local petroleum refinery plant, and had lost control of his truck as he swerved to avoid a squirrel that had wandered into the road, crushing Ethan and covering him in hydrofluoric acid in the process. This solution had been left over from a catalytic alkylation process for high-octane fuel production, but may be serving a new purpose if Evan becomes a superhuman once he heals from the third-degree burns and systemic poisoning it inflicted when it pooled over his unconscious body.
Fingers crossed!
Will Ethan be granted the powers to turn himself into a shiny, silver liquid, able to sneak through pipes and vents while he uncovers the shady misdeeds of the truck driver’s employer? Or will he suddenly become telekinetic along with the ability to generate electricity from his fingertips? Because he’s still listed in critical condition, and reportedly has not awakened from the medically induced coma doctors placed him in just after the accident, we can only speculate until he wakes up. He’d better hope that he does become the next Alex Mack, though, because it’s going to be hard for him to get around with that shattered spine and collapsed lung!
Time will only tell if Ethan has a new life filled with adventure and wacky hijinks waiting for him when, and if, he comes to. We don’t know about you, but we’re on the edge of our seats!
