An influencer killed in a fatal off-roading crash alongside her fiancé initially survived the 650-foot plunge down a rocky Canadian mountain, a rescuer has revealed.
Stacey Tourout sustained a ‘severe’ head injury following the collision on August 7, which ultimately claimed her life and that of her partner Matthew Yeomans. The couple, who were behind the popular Toyota World Runners YouTube channel, died after their vehicle crashed in the mountainous area near Trout Lake in British Columbia.
Rescuers have revealed that Tourout was still alive when they arrived at the harrowing scene on a ‘backcountry trail’, where the terrain is described as ‘pretty rough’. Tourout was still conscious after the couple ‘lost control’ of their vehicle and rolled ‘many, many times’ downhill, though she had suffered ‘a severe head injury,’ Kaslo Search and Rescue Communication Manager Mark Jennings-Bates told PEOPLE.
‘She didn’t realize quite how injured she was,’ Jennings-Bates said, adding that Tourout was lifted from the scene by helicopter and placed in ambulance that took her to a local hospital, where she later died. Yeomans was ejected from the vehicle during the crash and was found with ‘no vital signs,’ according to Jennings-Bates.
The engaged couple was traveling along a forestry road ‘somewhere in the mountains’ near Trout Lake, Jennings-Bates told CBC. While the official cause of the crash has not yet been confirmed, investigators believe they likely lost control of the vehicle and plummeted down a mountain.
Jennings-Bates estimated they fell about 656 feet downhill until they slammed into the bottom. He also described the rescue operation as ‘challenging’ because it was a long uphill journey to get to them, although he said his team did so ‘efficiently.’
Stacey’s mother confirmed the couple’s death in a heartbreaking social media post. In light of the devastating loss to their loved ones and the international online community they have built, social media has been flooded with heartfelt tributes, remembering the ambitious duo.
Colleen Tourout wrote, ‘Please keep us and them in your thoughts and prayers as we navigate this devastating end to an amazing Love Story.’
Shaun from The Story Till Now YouTube channel expressed, ‘They were so young and full of life, so talented, and this is a huge loss for our off-road community, their friends and family, and the world.’
