--- title: "There’s a Super Bizarre Coincidence Surrounding the Ohio Train Disaster" description: "A bizarre coincidence in the Ohio town where the Norfolk Southern train derailment happened makes this story seem almost stranger than fiction." date: "2023-02-13" modified: "2023-02-13" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/ohio-train-derailment-white-noise" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "chemicals" - "disasters" - "ohio" - "trains" --- # There’s a Super Bizarre Coincidence Surrounding the Ohio Train Disaster ![A bizarre coincidence in the Ohio town where the Norfolk Southern train derailment happened makes this story seem almost stranger than fiction.]() *\Image: Netflix / Futurism\* The Norfolk Southern [train derailment in Ohio]() and its [horrifying aftermath]() are already grim enough — but a bizarre coincidence in the town where it happened makes the tragic saga seem almost stranger than fiction. As [*CNN* reports](), the meta twist is that one of the families affected by the derailed train that contained loads of hazardous, flammable chemicals acted as extras in Netflix's 2022 movie "White Noise," which follows a family as it copes with the aftermath of an eerily similar noxious disaster. Based on a 1985 novel by Pulitzer finalist Don DeLillo, the black comedy stars Adam Driver as the patriarch of a family as they deal with the fallout from an "airborne toxic event" spurred on by a train crash carrying — you guessed it — a bunch of dangerous chemicals. East Palestine, Ohio resident and "White Noise" extra Ben Ratner says that the film, in which he and his own family played bit roles, now hits "too close to home." While the similarities end at the premise — Driver's "White Noise" character, for instance, is forced to quarantine after being exposed to the chemical cloud from that story's derailment, while in real life officials have declared that the controlled burn of vinyl chloride from the train [could have been much more dangerous]() than it turned out to be — they're nevertheless analogous enough to cause discomfort. "The first half of the movie is all almost exactly what’s going on here," Ratner, who was in a climactic traffic jam scene in the film, told *CNN* after his family, which includes his wife and four children — the same number of family members as "White Noise" — were forced to flee their home near the crash site. The Ohioan café owner told *CNN* that he'd been at his daughter's basketball game during the derailment, stepping outside the school's gymnasium to towering flames at the crash site less than a mile from his own house. That night, while his wife and kids slept, he anxiously stayed awake to see what would happen next. It wasn't until the next day that official evacuation orders came down for those within a [roughly one-by-two-mile area]() of the region that sits on the border of Ohio and Pennsylvania — and even though most of the Ratners had gone to stay with nearby family, they had to evacuate even farther because they were still within that zone. Ratner [told the local broadcaster *WKBN*]() that he waited a few days after the evacuation order was lifted to take his family back to their house. Now, concerns about long-term dangers have led the family to consider leaving the area for good. "That’s where we’ve been raising our kids, finishing college, buying a business, and that’s been our place," he told *CNN*. “In the future, are we going to have to sell the house? Is it worth any money at this point?” It's too soon to say what will happen in the "White Noise"-esque situation in East Palestine — but it's clear that some of the affected families won't wait around to find out. **More on toxic accidents:** [*Miners Say "Sorry" for Losing Highly Radioactive Object Along Highway*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()