Red Rock hiker dead after ‘medical episode’

A man died Sunday at Red Rock Canyon National Recreation Area after suffering a "medical episode," Metro Lt. Jeff Goodwin said.

The Metropolitan Police Department's Search and Rescue team sent a helicopter just south of the recreation area's Sandstone Quarry, Goodwin said. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. The helicopter recovered the body.

Alex Leiva, a 28-year-old Las Vegan, was hiking in the area near the Turtlehead Peak trail when he noticed what appeared to be a distressed woman. When he approached, he saw the woman giving CPR to a man lying down. Leiva soon discovered this was the man's girlfriend, and the man needed medical attention.

Leiva, a flight attendant trained to perform CPR, said he "jumped in" and began to perform CPR on the man, who was suffering from an unknown medical issue. Other hikers came to help with the man, as well as comfort his girlfriend.

"We tried our best to keep her calm," Leiva said. The woman told him that the man had suffered a stroke three years prior and wasn't sure if the medical emergency was related to that, Leiva said.

Leiva said that some of the other hikers that approached also helped to perform CPR on the man.

"Another hiker came up and we rotated back and forth for 35 minutes," Leiva said. A total of three hikers gave the man CPR by the time Metro Search and Rescue were able to find the man.

Leiva said that paramedics arrived at 1:06 p.m. and pronounced the man dead at the scene.

"He was unresponsive from the moment I got there," Leiva said. 

The Clark County Coroner will release the man's name after his family has been notified.

Contact Christian Bertolaccini at cbertolaccini@reviewjournal.com and 702-383-0381. Find him on Twitter: @bertolaccinic.