Elderly crash victim ‘an animal lover’ retrieving his cat’s body from road when he was struck and killed: police chief

George Kurovics was an animal lover. Photos of his cats and dogs decorate the walls around his chair in the barbershop he’s owned and operated in Rocky Point since 1948. One of his beloved cats was apparently hit by a car on Main Road in Jamesport and that’s apparently why the 90-year-old Herricks Lane resident was in the road after dark Tuesday evening, Riverhead Police Chief David Hegermiller said.

Kurovics parked his car on Herricks Lane and crossed to the south side of Main Road to retrieve his cat’s body from the roadway, Hegermiller said. He had crossed back to the north side of the road and was on his way back to his vehicle when he was struck by a westbound car driven by Diane O’Neill, 65, of Farmingville.

Police believe Kurovics was in the shoulder of the roadway, rather than in O’Neill’s lane of travel, when he was hit by her 2007 Mercedes-Benz, Hegermiller said. But the accident is under investigation by the state and no final determination has been made, he said.

Kurovics was a Wading River native whose family owned a large farm there, Hegermiller said.

The chief said he knew Kurovics very well. His wife’s family lived next to the Kurovics’ farm and he was a close family friend. “She called him Uncle George,” Hegermiller said.

Hegermiller said Kurovics has been his barber since he was 13 years old.

“He was my hero,” Hegermiller said. “He was an amazing person. He was 90 years old and he still went to work every day. He still chopped wood. He probably chopped wood yesterday,” he said.

Kurovics had survived heart valve replacement surgery and pancreatic cancer, Hegermiller said. “He was a miracle man.”

Hegermiller described Kurovics as “a good man” who always had a story to tell. He would regale his family, friends and customers with stories from his time in the Navy as a young man and his adventures as a kid growing up on a farm in Wading River.

“He would walk his cow to school and tie it up outside where it would graze until he got out of school,” Hegermiller said. “He was old-time Wading River.”

The woman accused of driving drunk and striking Kurovics last night was arraigned in Riverhead Town Justice Court this morning. She was held on $10,000 bail, which her son said would be posted at the courthouse, and ordered to  return to court tomorrow. [Update: O’Neill posted and was released on $10,000 bail this afternoon.]

Prosecutors said O’Neill’s blood was drawn for testing. Police said O’Neill appeared unsteady on her feet, had bloodshot eyes and smelled of alcohol. Additional criminal charges may be brought, according to prosecutors.

Southold school district released a statement this afternoon stating that it “is truly saddened to learn of this tragic accident.”

“The Southold Board of Education and administration extend our deepest condolences to the families involved in this tragedy,” the statement said.

“Ms. O’Neill is a veteran educator with twenty-plus years of service and no prior incidents. Her status with the district is pending.”