Adventurer couple Stacey Tourout and Matthew Yeomans perished together after their vehicle plunged 656 feet down

16 August 2025

Matthew Yeomans and Stacey Tourout. Matthew Peter Yeomans Facebook

The rugged wilderness of British Columbia’s West Kootenay region was the backdrop to a tragic final chapter in the lives of Stacey Tourout and Matthew Yeomans, the adventurous duo behind the popular YouTube channel Toyota World Runners. On August 7, what was meant to be another off-road excursion turned into a calamitous descent that claimed their lives and stunned the online community they had so passionately inspired.

Kaslo Search and Rescue was dispatched after a distress call came in at approximately 6:30 p.m. local time. The couple’s vehicle had veered off a forestry road near Silvercup Ridge, and plunged nearly 200 meters equivalent to about 656 feet down a steep boulder field, rolling multiple times before coming to rest deep in a rocky ravine.

When rescuers arrived, Matthew was found outside the vehicle, already without vital signs. Stacey still in the vehicle was conscious but disoriented and suffering from a severe head injury. Health teams worked swiftly to airlift her to a local hospital, where sadly she passed away later that night.

Their journey together had begun in 2020, when they started Toyota World Runners with a dream: to document life on the road, build custom off-road machines, and inspire others to chase adventure. They amassed over 200,000 YouTube subscribers and developed a devoted audience through uploads that charted their travels across North and South America, including building their “world’s first Land Cruiser Chinook” as a mobile, off‐road camper.

Just days before the fatal crash, the couple shared what has become their final video titled “VANCOUVER ISLAND | The Off-Road Version,” where they tested trucks on rugged terrain and camped amid stunning wilderness scenery a bittersweet farewell to their audience.

The terrain was unforgiving and remote, with no forested buffer to slow the descent terrain that ranked among the toughest for a vehicle accident. As SAR communication manager Mark Jennings-Bates explained, had the crash occurred elsewhere, trees may have broken the fall and reduced the impact. The combination of high altitude, poor daylight, and difficult access made the rescue and recovery operation both daunting and tragic.

In the hours that followed, social media erupted with grief, memories, and tributes. Stacey’s mother, Colleen Tourout, wrote on Facebook that the families were navigating “unimaginable heartache” as they mourned “an amazing Love Story.” She urged followers to keep them in their thoughts, noting poignantly that the couple were “together forever as we knew they would always be.”

Fellow creators in the off-road and travel space poured out tribute. One, known as "The Story Till Now," said she had spoken to Matthew the day before and that they had joked about meeting soon a connection that made his loss even more poignant. Others shared how watching Stacey and Matthew’s journey had fostered a sense of community and inspired viewers to build their own adventures.

The crash illuminates the risks that come with remote, off-grid exploration even for seasoned adventurers. SAR officials emphasized the importance of preparation and safety, warning that caution must accompany the lure of exploration, especially where help is hours away.

Their legacy lives on through archived videos, social media posts, and the memories of places they visited, vehicles they built, and dreams they shared. They spoke to the beauty of living boldly and authentically and, in the end, they remain forever rooted in the landscapes they traversed together.