Australian MP Helen Haines loses both legs after car ramming, suspect appears in court
Independent MP Helen Haines had both legs amputated following a deliberate car attack in Wangaratta; the alleged driver appeared in court and faces multiple charges.
Independent federal MP Helen Haines was left without both legs after a car was driven into her at the entrance to her constituency office in Wangaratta, northeast of Melbourne, on Monday. Doctors were able to save her left leg but were unable to preserve her right leg, her husband Phil Haines said at a press conference on Wednesday.
"Helen is alive and she is stable," Haines told reporters, adding that her condition was the most important concern for the family.
The driver, identified as 43-year-old Brendan Nugent, made a brief appearance in court on Wednesday. He has been charged with dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally causing injury, and causing harm to a public official, as well as with cultivation and possession of cannabis.
Nugent’s lawyer indicated that the accused suffers from a rare neurological disorder, idiopathic transverse myelitis, and is recovering from a concussion, according to court filings reported by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Federal police commissioner Krissy Barrett said investigators have not uncovered any specific intelligence that would have foreseen the attack.
Haines, who previously worked in nursing, midwifery and academia, was first elected to the seat of Indi in 2019 and retained it in the 2022 and 2025 elections. While attacks on Australian politicians are uncommon, officials have noted a rise in online abuse and threats toward elected representatives in recent years.