2 members of R&B band Tower of Power struck by train in Oakland

Tower of Power members, from left, Rocco Prestia, Roger Smith, Sal Cracchiolo, Adolfo Acosta, Stephen "Doc" Kupka, Marcus Scott, Tom E. Politzer, Emilio Castillo, David Garibaldi and Jerry Cortez in 2016.

Jan. 13, 2017 8:30 AM PT

Two members of the Bay Area R&B band Tower of Power were struck by a train Thursday evening in Oakland.

The train struck drummer David Garibaldi and bassist Marc Van Wageningen.

Both men were treated at a local hospital, said Jeremy Westby, a publicist for the band. He described the incident as “an unfortunate accident.”

Tower of Power’s bandleader, Emilio Castillo, said he visited Garibaldi at the hospital Thursday night but wasn’t able to see Van Wageningen because he was in the intensive care unit.

“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.”

Doctors were “cautiously optimistic” about Van Wageningen’s recovery, he said.

The incident occurred around 7:30 p.m. about a half mile north of Jack London Square station, near the jazz club Yoshi’s, where the band was scheduled to perform on Thursday.

None of the 26 passengers on board were injured, Amtrak officials said. Tracks in the area were temporarily closed but train service resumed about 45 minutes later.

The concert was canceled, and Yoshi’s posted a statement to its social media accounts: “We are deeply affected by this event and share our prayers and thoughts to their families and the Bay Area music community as a whole.”

Tower of Power was founded in Oakland in 1968 as the Motowns, but the group later adopted the new name. Within the 10-person band, four have been members since the beginning, including Garibaldi.

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Twitter: @MattHjourno

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UPDATES:

8:30 a.m., Jan. 13: This article was updated with comment from a band member.

7: 45 a.m., Jan. 13: This article was updated with additional details from Amtrak.

This article was originally published at 10:15 p.m., Jan. 12.

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Sarah Parvini

Sarah Parvini was a reporter at the Los Angeles Times from 2014 to 2024. She most recently covered the video game industry and previously wrote about California’s diverse communities, with a focus on the state’s shifting demographics. She was part of the team that won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of the San Bernardino terrorist attack, as well as a member of the investigative unit that uncovered scandals at USC’s medical school. The child of immigrants, she speaks fluent Persian and conversational Spanish.

Matt Hamilton

Matt Hamilton is a reporter for the Los Angeles Times. He won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting with colleagues Harriet Ryan and Paul Pringle and was part of the team of reporters that won a Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of the San Bernardino terrorist attack. A graduate of Boston College and the University of Southern California, he joined The Times in 2013.

2 members of R&B band Tower of Power struck by train in Oakland

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