Independent MP Helen Haines has lost both legs after an alleged targeted attack near her electorate office in Wangaratta. Phil Haines said late on Wednesday that his 65-year-old wife was alive and stable at Melbourne’s Alfred hospital.
The update came two days after the incident on Monday afternoon. Police have charged Brendan Nugent with dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally causing serious injury and the Commonwealth offence of causing harm to a Commonwealth public official.
Phil Haines at Alfred hospital
Phil Haines said surgeons tried to save her right leg on Tuesday before both legs had to be amputated because of the seriousness of her injuries. He said the pair have been married for nearly 40 years and have three children and two grandchildren.
"The good news in all this is Helen is alive and she’s stable," Phil Haines said. "That is the most important thing for our family. And I think when we reflect and talk about and think about Helen, the two most important parts of Helen for us as a family are her heart and her mind."
He added: "Her heart is huge. She is a very compassionate, caring, loving person. Incredibly supportive of all around her, her family, her community, anybody she comes across. And her mind. She has the sharpest intellect."
Brendan Nugent in Wangaratta
Brendan Nugent faced Wangaratta magistrates court earlier on Wednesday after police alleged Monday’s attack was targeted. The charges tie the case to both serious injury allegations and the Commonwealth offence linked to harm against a public official.
Sam Mostyn joined Phil Haines during the media update in Melbourne and praised Helen Haines’s work as a local representative. She said Haines had a commitment to improving the standards of public discourse in Australia.
Phil Haines said his wife survived an horrendous incident and would recover with family support and love. The case now turns on the court process already underway, while her condition remains stable after the amputation surgery.
Helen Haines and Indi
Haines’s injuries have left a sitting MP for Indi facing a long recovery after a single incident that began near her electorate office in north-east Victoria. For now, the immediate fact is the one her husband put plainly: she is alive, stable and still here.
