Tower Of Power Members Recovering

Two members of the legendary R&B group Tower of Power are still hospitalized after being struck by an Amtrak train last Thursday night in their hometown of Oakland, CA. As reported by KPIX-TV, drummer David Garibaldi (left) and bassist Marc van Wageningen (below) were walking from the Waterfront Hotel to the venue, Yoshi’s in Oakland’s Jack London Square around 7:30pm when they were hit. Witnesses said the guys had waited for one train to cross, but were struck by a second train going in the opposite direction. The band had been scheduled to perform two back-to-back shows at Yoshi’s that evening.

In a written statement, the band’s leader Emilio Castillo said he was able to see Garibaldi in the hospital but was not able to see van Wageningen because he was in intensive care. “Dave’s head and face were pretty swollen and bruised but he was lucid and expected to recover,” Castillo said. “Marc came through surgery well; his internal bleeding was stopped and they were waiting for him to stabilize in order to do further testing. The doctors were cautiously optimistic.”

Garibaldi has been with the group since 1970. Van Wageningen has been substituting for the band’s longtime bass player, Francis “Rocco” Prestia, who recently underwent a kidney transplant. The band had recently announced its 49th anniversary tour and was scheduled to perform at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach, CA tomorrow night. Castillo added, “We appreciate the responses and prayers from our former bandmates, friends, and fans and we all remain hopeful and in prayer.” To help with David and Marc’s mounting medical costs, a GoFundMe page has been established on their behalf. The band is also posting updates on its Facebook page.