FERRIDAY &8212; A woman is in stable condition after a midday accident with an oil tanker truck Thursday on U.S. 84 near Persimmon Road.

Yvette Williams was driving a late-model GMC Envoy eastbound on U.S. 84 when her car drifted into the westbound lane.

Joseph Thibodeux saw the vehicle coming and swerved his 18-wheeler to the shoulder, preventing a head-on collision.

The SUV hit his truck just behind the cab, the trailer rolled off of the highway, breaking its hitch and leaving the truck on its side.

Bobby Cowen was nearby and heard the crash. He got to the road in time to see the trailer roll off the road.

&8220;It sounded like a bomb went off,&8221; he said. &8220;I didn&8217;t know what it was, but I knew it was bad.&8221;

Williams&8217; car ended up on the eastbound shoulder of the highway, its front end was mangled and both air bags had deployed.

Members of the Concordia Parish Fire Department used the Jaws of Life to extract her from the vehicle. She was taken to Riverland Medical Center in Ferriday.

A hospital representative said she was in stable condition and would be transported to Rapides Regional Hospital in Alexandria.

Thibodeux was uninjured in the accident. He declined to comment.

State Trooper Matthew Lemmons, the officer in charge of the accident scene, said the evidence &8212; including two eyewitnesses &8212; made it appear Thibodeux was not at fault.

&8220;The skid marks, all of the evidence on the scene &8230; he did everything he could to miss her.&8221;

The truck, which Thibodeux owns, was towed away in two pieces by Curtis&8217; Wrecker. The rear axle broke off and had to be towed separately. The trailer, owned by Ergon Transportation, Inc., was badly damaged but the 9,000-gallon tank did not rupture and none of the hot oil inside spilled.

The Jackson-based Ergon sent an empty tanker to pick up the oil before it was removed.

Ergon&8217;s communications manager Jim Temple said the company stresses safety and was happy the potentially deadly situation was avoided.

&8220;Our lease/owner operators go through a lot of safety training and preparation, and it looks like it paid off.

We&8217;re proud of our driver.&8221;

Thibodeux owns the truck and transports Ergon&8217;s trailers under contract.

It is not known if Williams was wearing her seat belt.

Thibodeaux was; he told Trooper Lemmons it saved his life.