Dayton native dies in Nevada hiking accident

A woman who grew up in the Dayton area and earned degrees at Miami University and Ohio State University died over the weekend in a Nevada hiking accident.

Melanie Leigh Kushnir, 42, of Las Vegas and formerly of Dayton, died Saturday after a fall from a cliff at the Red Rock National Recreation Area, according to the coroner’s office in Clark County, Nev.

Also killed in the incident was 49-year-old Sean Randles, of Las Vegas. Their deaths have been ruled as accidental, according to the coroner’s office.

Kushnir was with a group of six out hiking when she lost her footing on a cliff, according to the report from the Las Vegas Review Journal. Randles tried to pull her up to safety but both fell about 50 feet, according to the Review Journal's report.

Kushnir worked as the Pro Bono Project Director at Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, according to her Linkedin profile.

Kushnir earned a bachelor’s degree in 1995 from Miami University, where she was a member of Alpha Omicron Pi Omega, and earned a law degree in 2000 at the OSU Moritz College of Law.

Many are sharing their condolences through social media. In a Facebook post, the Law Office of Sean D. Lyttle called Kushnir’s death a “tremendous, stunning loss” to the community.

“An avid and experienced hiker, Melanie died doing what she loved most — well, perhaps what she loved second-most: her passion for giving access to justice to those in our community who need it most, but can least afford to pay for legal representation, was unbridled and unparalleled in our valley. To know Melanie was to be inspired by her, to respect her, and to see compassion and gratitude in action. Flights of angels, Melanie. We know you already have your wings.”

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