An influencer who perished in a tragic off-roading accident with her fiancé managed to survive the initial 650-foot fall down a treacherous Canadian mountain, according to a rescuer.
Stacey Tourout suffered a critical head injury during the crash on August 7, which eventually resulted in her death and that of her fiancé, Matthew Yeomans.
The pair, known for creating content on the Toyota World Runners YouTube channel, lost their lives when their vehicle met with disaster in the rugged terrain near Trout Lake in British Columbia.
Rescuers disclosed that Tourout was alive when they reached the distressing location on a ‘backcountry trail,’ characterized by extremely rough conditions.
Although Tourout remained conscious after they ‘lost control’ and their vehicle rolled multiple times, she endured ‘a severe head injury,’ as explained by Kaslo Search and Rescue Communication Manager Mark Jennings-Bates to PEOPLE.
‘She wasn’t fully aware of the extent of her injuries,’ Jennings-Bates remarked, noting that Tourout was evacuated by helicopter and transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital, where she ultimately succumbed to her injuries.
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.
Stacey Tourout (left) and Matthew Yeomans (right), the pair behind the Toyota World Runners YouTube channel, died in an off-roading crash on August 7
Rescuers revealed that Tourout (pictured) initially survived the crash that plunged her and her fiancé more than 650 feet down a rocky mountain in Canada
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.’
He also noted his team has responded to the many calls in the area where they died, as it is difficult to navigate and rugged.
‘From what I understand, it’s one of the few patches of the road that doesn’t have a forest on the side,’ Jennings-Bates said.
‘So anywhere else, they would’ve been caught by the trees — they would’ve maybe gotten a bit hurt. But this is the one area where they were gonna go for a big ride if they did go off the side road.’
Stacey’s mother confirmed the couple’s death in a heartbreaking social media post.
Officials said the couple ‘lost control’ of their vehicle and rolled ‘many, many times’ downhill
Although Tourout (pictured) was found conscious, she had suffered a severe head injury and later died at the hospital
She wrote they died together in an off-road accident ‘in the beautiful mountains of British Columbia that they loved so much’.
‘Please keep us and them in your thoughts and prayers as we navigate this devastating end to an amazing Love Story,’ Colleen Tourout wrote.
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.
‘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,’ the creator behind The Story Till Now YouTube channel, Shaun, wrote.
