WYNNE — Wynne residents may have seen a traveling billboard sponsored by Union Pacific Railroad that visited the city Tuesday.
John Varnell, a railroad crossing safety presenter with Union Pacific, visited Wynne City Hall with his trailer that features a double-sided billboard reading “Life is Worth the Wait. Always Expect a Train.” The trailer also has a horn that simulates the warning sound at railroad crossings.
According to data provided by Union Pacific, there were 49 highway-rail crossing collisions in Arkansas in 2025. Those collisions resulted in seven fatalities and 18 injuries. That put Arkansas 15th nationwide in the number of highway-rail crossing collisions.
Nationwide, there were 2,273 highway-rail crossing collisions last year, which resulted in 286 deaths and 766 injuries. Arkansas accounted for roughly 2.2% of all highway-rail crossing collisions in 2025.
