Family and friends have identified the two people killed in a backcountry accident near Trout Lake in the West Kootenay as a couple known for their popular online adventuring videos.
Stacey Tourout, 30, of Lantzville, and Matthew Yeomans, 32, of Nanaimo, died last week after their offroad vehicle went down an embankment.
They were the creators of Toyota World Runners, which chronicled their travels around North and South America. They had more than 200,000 subscribers and their videos routinely drew tens of thousands of viewers.
In a social media post, Tourout’s mother called the tragedy a “devastating end to an amazing love story. They are together forever as we knew they would always be.”
The BC Coroners Service confirms it’s investigating the incident Thursday evening on Rady Creek Forest Service Road, but provided no other details.
Mark Jennings-Bates of Kaslo Search and Rescue said his organization was called out to a report of a vehicle rollover involving two occupants, one of whom had been thrown and the other of whom was still trapped.
The vehicle was said to have rolled 150 to 200 feet (45 to 60 meters) down a steep slope.
Search and rescue was able to dispatch a ground team quickly and to find a Nakusp-based helicopter, “which given the forest fire situation is not that easy.” It flew to the scene with three response team members.
They arrived with just enough daylight to find the crash site and get the victims off the mountain, Jennings-Bate said. Tourout was taken out by helicopter, but later died. Yeomans’ body was recovered from the scene.
Jennings-Bates said his understanding is that the vehicle in question was a road vehicle converted for rock crawling and overlanding.
He said it was a “very, very difficult” call. The responders involved were expected to receive counselling.
RCMP finally acknowledged the incident nearly a week after the fact. In a news release, they said the couple were navigating a narrow section of the road when they lost control. Tourout was driving at the time.
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