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Australian MP Helen Haines Loses Both Legs After Targeted Car Attack in Wangaratta
Published: October 21, 2026
Australian MP Helen Haines was struck by a Toyota Land Cruiser near her office in Wangaratta on Monday, resulting in the removal of both legs. The suspect, 43‑year‑old Brendan Nugent, was charged and will face his next court hearing on February 4.
Surgeons at St John of God Hospital removed both legs of MP Helen Haines after a Toyota Land Cruiser collided with her car near Wangaratta’s public office on Monday, leaving her in a stable condition at a Melbourne hospital.
Police charged 43‑year‑old Brendan Nugent with dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally causing serious injury and the federal offence of harming a public official, a crime punishable by up to ten years in prison.
Nugent appeared at the Wangaratta Magistrates Court on Wednesday, denied bail and is slated for a February 4 hearing.
Governor‑General Sam Mostyn, speaking alongside Haines’s husband, urged Australian society to demand decency amid growing threats to public officials.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, in a radio interview, praised Haines’s work against corruption and warned that the incident signals a world that has become more dangerous and divided.