Doctors have amputated both legs of Australian federal lawmaker Helen Haines after she was hit by a car on Monday on a road outside her electorate office in Wangaratta, northeastern Victoria.
The 65-year-old’s husband of nearly 40 years, Phil Haines, disclosed this during a press conference at The Alfred hospital in Melbourne.
Mr Haines said, “Helen’s left leg was amputated on Monday. We had been hoping that her right leg would be saved, but… the surgeons had to also remove her right leg. But the good news in all this is Helen is alive and she’s stable. That is the most important thing for our family. The two most important parts of Helen for us as a family are her heart and her mind.”
He described his wife as “a very compassionate, caring, loving person” with a “huge” heart, adding that, “Helen’s road to recovery will be long and difficult, but we know she is a fighter.”
Reacting to well-wishers leaving bouquets outside his wife’s electorate office, Mr Haines urged them to consider making financial donations instead.
“She loves flowers, but it’s a bit difficult to look after many bunches of flowers. We will ask people if they would like to support Helen financially to make a donation to Save the Children Fund,” he stated.
Mrs Haines was unpacking items from the boot of her car when a man driving a Toyota Land Cruiser drove past her, turned around and rammed her into her vehicle.
Bystanders came to her aid. A barber pulled the driver of the Toyota Land Cruiser, later identified as 43-year-old Brendan Nugent, from the vehicle and held him until police arrived. She was immediately airlifted to Melbourne for surgery.
The politician, who has represented her community as an independent MP since 2019, had worked in nursing, midwifery and academia before being elected to Parliament. She represents the rural seat of Indi, which she retained in 2022 and 2025.
Governor-General Sam Mostyn also told journalists immediately after Mr Haines’ press briefing that she was updating King Charles III on the developments.
Mrs Mostyn also stated that, “Australia is still reeling with the shock and distress of this terrible attack. I know that here in Victoria, in particular, people are simply dumbfounded and finding it very hard to fathom the scale of this tragedy.”
Although the motive for the attack is yet to be established, it is believed to have been intentional or politically motivated, but authorities are yet to establish any evidence to support either possibility.
Victoria Police Commissioner Mike Bush told reporters that they had yet to obtain any intelligence about the suspect or anything else to suggest that he posed an immediate threat, adding that, “We’re examining social media associations, talking to witnesses, friends and colleagues.”
The suspect appeared in court on Wednesday at a hearing in Wangaratta over charges that court filings revealed included dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally causing serious injury and harming a Commonwealth public official. The latter offence carries a maximum 10-year jail term.
Court documents showed that he was also being charged with allegedly cultivating a cannabis plant and possessing cannabis.
However, Mr Nugent’s lawyer, Chirag Patel, told Magistrate Allison Vaughan that the defendant was suffering from a rare neurological condition called idiopathic transverse myelitis and was also recovering from a concussion.
Mr Patel also told the court that his client might be experiencing mental health issues but had never been diagnosed with any mental health condition. He added that the defendant was not currently taking any medication to treat the ailments.
The court has fixed February 4, 2027, for the next hearing. No application for the defendant’s bail was made.
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