A spokesperson for Melbourne’s The Alfred said Saturday morning that independent Australian MP Helen Haines was in “serious but stable” condition. ABC News and SBS reported that the update marked a change from her earlier critical classification.
Haines represents Indi in Australia’s federal Parliament. A white Toyota Landcruiser struck her outside her electorate office on Murphy Street in Wangaratta on Oct. 19, Victoria Police said. Police said they would allege the collision was targeted.
Her husband, Phil Haines, said Wednesday that surgeons had amputated both her legs, a development EconoTimes reported earlier. He told ABC News that the family was grateful that “both her heart and her mind are in good shape.”
Victoria Police charged a 43-year-old man from Tarrawingee with dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally causing serious injury and causing harm to a Commonwealth public official. ABC News and the Associated Press identified him as Brendan Nugent.
Nugent appeared at Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court on Oct. 21 and did not enter a plea or apply for bail, ABC News reported. The court scheduled a committal mention for Feb. 4, 2027.
