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As the family confirms their deaths and first responders speak out about the rescue attempt, a friend who was at the scene says he "was with them when it happened and did everything in my power to save them."
A couple who chronicled their off-roading adventures on social media have died in an off-roading accident.
Matthew Peter Yeomans and Stacey Tourout, who ran the Toyota World Runners account on YouTube, were killed in an accident in British Columbia last week, according to a statement from Tourout's family.
"With unimaginable heartache, the families of Matthew Peter Yeomans and Stacey Tourout would like to advise that we lost them both tragically succumbing to injuries in an offroad accident on Aug 7, 2025 in the beautiful mountains of British Columbia that they loved so much," Coleen Tourout, Stacey's mother, posted to Facebook.
"Please keep us and them in your thoughts and prayers as we navigate this devastating end to an amazing Love Story," the statement added. "They are together forever as we knew they would always be."
The couple's YouTube account had more than 200,000 followers, while another 75K followed their adventures on Instagram. The two claim to have built the "world's first Land Cruiser Chinook in 100 days," which they were seemingly driving around the world, sharing videos from their travels. "We are documenting our build, the trip plan, and hope to leave you with wisdom and inspiration for why we travel and how you can find fulfillment doing the same - in your own way," they shared on their YouTube page.
Speaking with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, or CBC, Kaslo Search and Rescue's Mark Jennings-Bates said rescuers responded to an offroad incident around 7:30pm on August 7. "So it was on a forestry road, somewhere in the mountains, and quite a long ways north in the valley up towards ... the village of Trout Lake," said Jennings-Bates, adding, "Our teams were able to get to them efficiently. It's a long journey, but they got there efficiently. So that was very, very helpful."
"And of course that means that the helicopter pilot could also fly straight to the destination with confidence that he was going to find them," he continued. While one passenger was pronounced dead at the scene, the other was taken to the hospital, where they succumbed to their injuries. Jennings-Bates didn't know whether the two were filming content at the time of the accident, or what caused it -- though he speculated it could have been caused by loss of control on rough terrain.
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In another Facebook post, a friend of the couple, Colin Stuart, said he was with them when the accident occurred.
"I just lived the saddest chapter of my life this past week. As many of you now know, Matthew Peter Yeomans and Stacey Tourout are no longer with us," he wrote. "I was with them when it happened and did everything in my power to save them."
"Those were the hardest 20 hours I have ever lived. The hardest decisions I have ever had to make," he continued. "I'm sorry to all that this has affected. This is a big loss for the offroad community and a bigger loss to Matthew's and Stacey's family and close friends ... My heart goes to all effected."
Stacey's mother also responded to the post in the comments, writing, "Colin - not only your heroism that evening, but your willingness to talk to us and offer us some peace to understand why two such wonderful souls were taken from this earth so soon will never be forgotten." She added that she was "eternally grateful," concluding, "please, do take care of yourself, we need more people like you on this earth."
The couple's last video was shared on July 31 to YouTube, showing them driving around Vancouver Island. The pair appeared to have gotten engaged back in May 2024.
