A lot of mystery still remains regarding why, or rather how such an event happened. However, regardless of circumstantial theorizing, utter shock echoes around the world as news of Tower of Power members’ collision with an Amtrak train breaks.
Drummer David Garibaldi and current bassist Marc van Wageningen, Members of the 1970’s funk group, Tower of Power, were reportedly hit by a train in Jack London Square, in Oakland, California. While the noted group celebrates its’ origins in the bay-area city, the happenstance surrounding the incident leaves many puzzled.
The two musicians are in critical condition; but, doctors at Highland Hospital are “cautiously optimistic” in remark to both Garibaldi and van Wageningen.
According to the San Francisco Gate, “Initial reports from police and witnesses indicate that four people were trying to cross the tracks just after a long freight train had passed, not realizing that an Amtrak train was coming from the other direction. Two people in the group were able to jump out of the way, but Garibaldi and van Wageningen were struck by the Capitol Corridor commuter train, rolling through at about 25 mph. The warning guard arms were down at the time, police said.”
Tower of Power were billed to play that night near the scene of the accident, at the famous Jazz club Yoshi’s. Because of the preceding accident, the venue cancelled the show along with a following set scheduled for later on in the week.
Emilio Castillo, Tower of Power bandleader, announced in a statement, “Dave’s head and face were pretty swollen and bruised but he was lucid and expected to recover,” Castillo said in a statement. “Marc came through surgery well; his internal bleeding was stopped and they were waiting for him to stabilize in order to do further testing.”
Representatives from Amtrak blame pedestrians for being outside of the designated area, on the other side of the guard rail, as cause for the accident.
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