WHEN ambulanceman Harold Smith flew abroad for a holiday in Malta, his thoughts turned away from work to focus on sun, sea and sand.

But just as he was nodding off on the journey from Malta's airport to the hotel, he suddenly had to spring back into action -- when a car crashed into his coach, injuring the car's driver.

He dealt with the incident and got on with the rest of his holiday in St Paul's Bay.

Two weeks later, when he was travelling back home in a taxi which had picked him up from Manchester Airport, he was called to tend to victims in a Bolton road accident.

In both cases, Mr Smith, aged 53, from Breightmet, helped the people involved to speedy recoveries.

He said: "Dealing with one accident would be thought of as being unfortunate, but two was unbelievable."

Mr Smith went on holiday with his wife, Kay, aged 53, to rest from what, he says, has been a hectic year.

But the ambulanceman ended up half-way between Malta's airport and the capital Valetta, dealing with a bleeding woman slumped over the wheel of her car. The coach driver put out a plea for anyone with medical knowledge to help the young woman.

Mr Smith volunteered, went to the victim and administered first aid until Maltese paramedics arrived 40 minutes later. The young woman had suffered a leg injury and damage to three ribs.

Mr Smith said: "When we got off the plane, our holiday rep said the roads in Malta were dangerous when it rained. I was asleep just before the crash. There was an almighty screeching of brakes and a loud bang.

"The woman spoke broken English but it appeared that she had skidded around a tight bend. I couldn't believe how long it took for the paramedics to arrive."

On his way home, Mr and Mrs Smith were in a taxi on St Peter's Way when they saw two cars collide, the crash injuring both drivers.

Again Mr Smith, who is based at Blackrod ambulance station, ran to the accident scene to tend to the two men -- one middle-aged and the other in his 20s.

A spokesman for the Greater Manchester Ambulance Service said: "We are proud of Harold. It appears his reactions on both occasions were very quick. We cannot praise him enough."