Australian lawmaker loses both legs after alleged vehicle attack

An Australian lawmaker hit by a car outside her electoral office has had both legs amputated following the alleged attack, her husband said Wednesday.

Victoria Police allege that the incident was targeted, after a white Toyota Landcruiser struck Helen Haines outside her office on Monday.

The 65-year-old independent politician is receiving treatment in a Melbourne hospital where she was flown by helicopter.

Phil Haines, Helen’s husband, shared the first public statements on his wife’s condition on Wednesday.

He said that Helen’s left leg was amputated on Monday and her right leg was amputated on Wednesday.

“The good news in all this is that Helen is alive and she’s stable. That is the most important thing for our family,” Phil told reporters in Melbourne.

“We are grateful and thankful that at this stage, both her heart and her mind are in good shape,” he said, adding that their 40th wedding anniversary will be in November.

“Helen’s road to recovery will be long and difficult. But we know she is a fighter. She is a determined person who will do her best with our support and love to recover,” he said.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said eyewitnesses had reported that the suspect first passed Haines in his vehicle on Monday as she stood by the trunk of her parked car.

The car then turned and came back before the man allegedly drove into the politician, the prime minster said.

Witnesses say the driver rammed his victim, pinning her against her own car before reversing and ramming her a second time.

The man accused of running Helen over made an initial appearance in court on Wednesday.

Brendan Nugent, 43, was charged with intentionally causing serious injury, dangerous driving causing serious injury and causing harm to a federal official.

During the brief court appearance, Nugent’s lawyer Chirag Patel told Magistrate Allison Vaughan that his client was suffering from potential mental health issues but had never been diagnosed with any mental health problem, The Associated Press reports.

Patel said Nugent suffered from a neurological condition, idiopathic transverse myelitis, and a concussion. The lawyer did not explain how Nugent had been concussed.

The rare condition damages the spinal cord’s protective myelin sheath and disrupts nerve signals between the brain and body. This leads to rapid muscle weakness, sensory loss, pain, and bladder and bowel dysfunction, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Nugent did not enter a plea and will remain in custody until his next schedule court appearance in February.

Albanese said the national counterterrorism team was investigating the attack, incorporating police and intelligence agencies.

“This wasn’t an accident. There was a deliberate act, it would appear. We don’t know what the motivation is,” Albanese told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the country’s public broadcaster.

Albanese said that he wasn’t “personally aware of any threats” to Haines.

“This wasn’t something with a car just going off the road,” Albanese told Australian channel News24. “This is something that is very clear was aimed at causing harm to Helen Haines.”

Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner Krissy Barrett said that at this stage in the investigation, it appears “this is an isolated incident, and there are no known threats connected to this matter.”

Victoria Police Commissioner Mike Bush told reporters that officers are “examining social media associations, talking to witnesses, friends and colleagues.”

—With files from The Associated Press