Las Vegas Sun

March 18, 2024

Las Vegas man died trying to save fellow hiker, family says

The family of a Las Vegas man who died after falling from a cliff said he was trying to save a fellow hiker who lost her footing.

Sean Christopher Randles, 49, was trying to pull Melanie Leigh Kushnir, 42, up on Saturday afternoon when they were hiking at Red Rock Canyon, his family said Sunday.

Randles had almost pulled Kushnir back to safety and told her, "You're not going down," when momentum forced both experienced hikers to fall down a 50-foot cliff, The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Sunday.

The pair was hiking with four other people, who made their way through the trail and called for help.

Police received several emergency calls about the man and woman who had fallen in the Red Rock National Recreation Area, according to authorities. An air rescue unit found both of them near the Pine Creek Trail but they were pronounced dead.

Randles was the group leader for the team of hikers, said his ex-wife Stephanie Randles. She said he likely felt responsible for their safety.

She said she was not surprised that Sean Christopher Randles died trying to save someone's life, as he has done things like that in the past. She called him a hero, saying he once grabbed a hiker who almost fell.

Kushnir's family members did not comment on the incident.

Randles' family has raised over $12,000 through a fundraising website to help pay for the memorial for the father of three.

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