Three teenage boys were able to escape a truck that crashed in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia yesterday. But the driver and father of one of the teenagers was not so lucky.

John Morris Rankin, a member of the former Celtic group the Rankins, was killed in the accident.

Family friend Emily Butler said it appeared that Rankin told the teens to jump out of the truck as it skidded towards the water.

"John Morris told them to jump and they got out," she said. `` John Morris went with the truck.''

It hasn't yet been determined how the vehicle ended up in the water.

Morris Green of Nova Scotia Emergency Health Services said one of the teenagers was being treated for hypothermia -- when one's body temperature drops abnormally low -- and the other two appeared to be OK.

John Morris Rankin played fiddle and piano with the popular musical family from Cape Breton. The group broke up last summer so its members could pursue independent careers and interests.

Over a decade-long, storybook career, the Mabou, Nova Scotia family band rose from playing at county fairs and church halls to become the most successful music acts on the East Coast through the 1990s.

The five siblings sold more than two million records, won five Juno Awards, including group of the year in 1994, and took its Celtic music to the world.

Family friend and musician Denis Ryan said news of the accident spread quickly through the Nova Scotia music community.

"It's awful, awful, awful," said Ryan, who played music with Rankin in the mid '80s. "I've known him for 25 years.... Why is it always the good people that die?"

Ryan described Rankin as a dedicated family man and master carpenter who was like a younger brother to him.

"He was just a beautiful person to be around -- never offensive and could be awful funny at times. And he did have a great Celtic humour and wit about him. He could laugh and smile and have fun with very simple things in life."

Rankin's brother Jimmy Rankin left a Farm Aid concert in Toronto after being notified of the death.

Family friend Russell De Carle, lead singer for Prairie Oyster, said he was stunned when he heard the news at the benefit.

"He was a brilliant musician. It's a huge loss. It's unbelievable. I had an incredible amount of admiration for his playing. He was a brilliant musician, keyboardist and fiddle player."

Besides Michael, 15, Rankin is survived by his wife Sally and daughter Molly, 13.

1. Who were able to escape a truck that crashed in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia yesterday?