Miroslav Kurak drove Mercedes in Karaburma crash, media say
Media report the G-Class driver in Visnjicka Street was a former State Security officer acquitted in the Curuvija case. Prosecutors are collecting camera footage.
The Mercedes G-Class involved in the October 18 crash in Visnjicka Street in Karaburma was driven by Miroslav Kurak (55), a former State Security officer, Mondo and N1 report. N1 says it confirmed the information, first published by the portal Nova.rs, with several sources. The driver of the Renault Megane, Dragomir M. (83), died in the crash, and five other people were injured.
Our earlier article on the crash reported the death of the Renault driver, but the name of the other driver was not yet known.
What is known about the Visnjicka Street crash?
Mondo says the crash happened around 12 p.m., while N1 puts it at around 1 p.m. The discrepancy between the sources has not been resolved.
The vehicles that collided were a Renault Megane, driven by Dragomir M., and the Mercedes. According to the first unofficial information, the Renault driver most likely started turning into a side street or making a U-turn when the impact occurred. The exact cause will be known only after the investigation.
After the first impact the SUV bounced off and hit parked vehicles. Mondo reports that six parked cars were damaged.
Dragomir M. died of severe injuries, despite doctors at the Emergency Center fighting for his life for several hours. Five people were treated for injuries.
What did the prosecutors order?
The First Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office told Nova.rs that it has ordered the collection of evidence, primarily surveillance camera footage, to establish the circumstances and cause of the crash.
According to unofficial information relayed by Mondo, the on-duty public prosecutor ordered:
- retrieval of footage from all cameras around the scene
- interviews with all eyewitnesses
- an extraordinary technical inspection of the vehicles
- alcohol and drug testing of Kurak, through a blood analysis
The test results have not been published. There is also no information on whether Kurak was detained. The sources do not say he has been given the status of a suspect, and the cause of the crash is still being determined.
Who is Miroslav Kurak?
Kurak was charged as the direct perpetrator of the murder of journalist Slavko Curuvija, owner of the newspaper Dnevni Telegraf and the weekly Evropljanin, who was killed on April 11, 1999. The trial began in 2015, and Kurak was a fugitive throughout the proceedings, so he was tried in absentia.
In 2019, the Special Court in Belgrade found four former State Security officers guilty of the murder, and that verdict sentenced Kurak to 20 years in prison. The Court of Appeal in Belgrade acquitted him in 2024 for lack of evidence.
That verdict has no connection to the traffic crash in Karaburma, and in this case the presumption of innocence applies until the prosecutors’ findings and expert analyses are in.
