A woman suffered a broken wrist and her husband required stitches for a head wound after the ambulance they were travelling in was involved in a traffic accident as it was being driven to St Luke's Hospital.

The couple, who do not wish to be named, told The Sunday Times how they were having breakfast at their summer residence in St Paul's Bay on November 7 when one of them, a 72-year-old man, had chest pains.

Having already had a heart bypass 17 years ago, as well as an angioplasty, they immediately called the family doctor, who summoned an ambulance.

The man, accompanied by his 71-year-old wife, got into the ambulance and they held hands, hoping to reach St Luke's Hospital on time.

When the ambulance arrived at the roundabout near Kinds showroom, between Mosta and Birkirkara, with the siren blaring, it collided with another vehicle.

"I was jolted out of my seat and tried to break the fall with my hands," the woman said.

But she hit her head against the door, smashing her spectacles and breaking her wrist in the process.

The man said: "I was in shock when my wife looked up and I saw blood trickling down her face. She didn't feel the blood and complained about the pain in her arm."

Speaking from their home as they recover from the trauma, the couple yesterday recounted the incident, which could have had far more serious consequences.

When the incident occurred, the ambulance driver immediately attended to the patients' needs, assuring them that another ambulance was on the way. It arrived within five minutes of the accident and finally got them to the hospital.

The second ambulance team, aware of the man's condition and the possibility that the accident could have placed greater stress on his heart, laid him on a stretcher and provided oxygen, while they tended to his wife. The man, admitted for his heart condition, also needed stitches to his temple, while his wife emerged with her hand in plaster, stitches on her brow, and bruises.

"Once back at home, I was determined not to turn myself into a patient by letting my morale drop," she said.

Still shocked by the incident, the couple want to raise awareness about the importance of ambulance passengers being strapped in.

A similar incident happened at the same spot three years ago when a patient returning home from hospital was thrown off the bench, as the ambulance driver negotiated the roundabout. That patient had to be readmitted.

The man involved in this latest accident said: "We didn't see any seat belts and nobody told us to belt up. If we were strapped in, the injuries would not have been so bad."

The couple also appealed to drivers to make way when they hear the ambulance siren.

When contacted, hospital superintendent Frank Bartolo said the customer care section was handling the case to ensure the woman is compensated, for items such as her broken spectacles.

He appealed to all drivers to keep in mind that an ambulance with a siren on always has the right of way, so they should stop or pull over.

"Ambulance drivers will be going at a certain speed to make sure they get patients to hospital in time. They also go through traffic lights, though we warn ambulance drivers to exercise caution and slow down in such situations," Dr Bartolo said.

Asked about the seat belts, he said the ambulance porter should tell the people on board to strap themselves in or assist them to do it. "We are investigating this case," he said.