Buffalo Grove man killed in fall at Grand Canyon

A Buffalo Grove man who fell 500 feet to his death in the Grand Canyon is being remembered after the 24-year-old lost his footing after climbing over a railing.

We just spoke with that man’s father. Andrey Privin was captain of his speech and debate team at Buffalo Grove High School and loved to watch soccer. It was his father that says he was the last person to see him after dropping him off at the airport, and speaking over the phone he told his son that he loved him, just hours before his death.

“I no longer have any tears to cry,” said Mike Kukso.

His voice low, the father of 24-year-old Andrey Privin spoke about the painful loss of his oldest son.

“Hard to sleep, hard to eat and to do anything. You always feel like he's right there,” Kukso said.

Privin was at the Grand Canyon taking a long planned vacation with a friend, celebrating after fulfilling a lifelong dream of becoming a registered nurse. He was set to start a job at Highland Park Hospital on Monday.

The circumstances surrounding his death are still unclear, but authorities say he was at the south rim of the Grand Canyon near an area known as Mather Point. That's when they say he a climbed a railing to get a better view before losing his footing, falling 500 feet to the ground below.

“He just 24. I’m 23. I never thought I would be burying my friends,” said friend Michael Mont.

Privin wrote on Facebook just days before his death, "I am very proud to answer the call to serve." Now, his selflessness is what friends and family will remember most.

“He was so wise for his age. He had the straightest moral compass out of anyone that I’ve ever met,” said friend Christine Vi.

In addition to his father, Privin leaves behind his mother and 7-year-old brother who was told that his brother is now an angel.

A memorial service is taking place Tuesday morning at a funeral home in northwest suburban Niles.