‘Whatever it takes’: Saskatoon man walks away from harrowing collision with a mission

A Saskatoon man is thankful to be alive after a Thanksgiving collision south of the city. Now he's petitioning for changes at the intersection near Grasswood Ro

A Saskatoon man is thankful to be alive after a Thanksgiving collision south of the city.

Now, he’s taking action — starting a petition to make safety changes at the intersection near Grasswood Road.

Laurentiu Givelichian was driving south on Highway 11 on October 13th, passing the intersection just beyond what many know as the Grasswood Esso, at Floral Road, when an eastbound SUV struck his vehicle.

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He says he saw a vehicle through the corner of his eye. It was travelling fast, he thought in that split second.

Givelichian says emergency crews later told him the vehicle, which should have been stopped at the stop sign on Floral Road, kept going and accelerated onto the highway — right into Givelichian’s rear passenger side.

The impact sent his car rolling over three times before landing upside down in the left shoulder of the southbound lane. He recalls rolling, and wondering when it would stop, and then everything went blank.

The airbags deployed — likely the reason he escaped without major injury.

A paramedic told him when they arrived on scene, his face was covered in blood and he was sitting outside of the vehicle, on the side of the road. He has no recollection of getting out of the vehicle. He says the outcome could have been much worse — and now he’s determined to make sure it doesn’t happen to someone else.

“I will do everything possible in my power to change the safety regulations on this intersection — whatever it takes. It’s not only for today, for us. It’s also for tomorrow, for our children,” Givelichian told CTV News.

Givelichian, a pediatric intensive care doctor, says he treats children who have been injured in crashes and that gives him an even stronger motivation to push for change.

“I have to take care of them after they come after such a critical accident and in many situations, they are not as lucky as I am today. To be able to stand here and tell you this story,” he said.

Lindy Ooms drives this stretch of road often. She drove by the remains of Givelichian’s vehicle as emergency crews were arriving.

“I saw the car flipped over on the other side of the road. I saw there was glass everywhere, and my heart just stopped because I just looked awful and I had my girls on either side of me,” Ooms, recalls.

Ooms says this intersection is notoriously risky.

The crash, and similar accounts from others about safety in this area have pushed Givelichian to start a petition asking the government to build an overpass.

In an email to CTV News, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways says it appreciates the concerns raise by the petition.

The ministry highlighted existing safety measures at the intersection, including speeds being reduced from 110 to 100 kilometres per hour, north and southbound left turn lanes, ramps, acceleration lanes and intersection lighting.

“Pavement marking and guidance signage for north and southbound Highway 11 traffic includes ‘important intersection ahead’ signs with flashing lights. Two stop signs with flashing lights are on the west side of the intersection with Highway 11.”

The province says west and southbound acceleration lanes and signage in the area were improved in 2023.

“The ministry will continue to monitor this intersection for potential improvements in the future.”

Between 2020 and 2024, there were 11 collisions at this location, according to SGI. That’s about two per year.

Of those, six people were injured, with no fatalities reported in that time period.

Givelichian says he finds it difficult to drive in this area since the memory of that day is still so fresh.

Given his experience, and the number of families on this highway and adjacent roads like the one to Jemini Arena, he says he’ll keep pushing the province and RM of Corman Park to do better for its taxpayers.

The petition has 570 signatures, but he’s hoping for many more.