A man has been hailed as a hero for running to rescue Australian MP Helen Haines after she was hit by a car.
Haines, 65, was hit by a white Toyota Land Cruiser outside her office on Murphy Street in Wangaratta, northeast of Melbourne, 3.35pm Monday.
Police were on the scene within seconds of the call coming through and have charged a 43-year-old Tarrawingee man.
The Independent MP suffered critical lower body injuries and has now lost one of her legs.
Australian barber Ricky Jefferies recalled how he heard a ‘loud bang’ outside his shop when it happened.
He sprinted out of his shop to detain the man, reportedly grabbing a knife from the alleged attacker’s pocket as he pulled him out of the car.
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‘It was crazy, I just ran out the front to see what was happening,’ he told reporters on Tuesday.
‘He did have a knife,’ Jefferies continued. ‘He didn’t pull it out. I just wasn’t comfortable with his movements, and so I basically just took it out of his pocket and threw it away.’
Haines is still in critical condition after undergoing surgery overnight.
Brendan Nugent was arrested at the scene after being tackled by bystanders, having reportedly exited the vehicle.
Police have given no motive for the attack, with counterterrorism authorities among the multiple agencies involved in the investigation.
Nugent’s father, Rod Nugent, and Rod’s partner, Christine Cunningham, did release a statement today sharing praise for Haines.
‘Helen has been our friend for more than 20 years and what happened to her yesterday is devastating and unfathomable,’ they said.
‘All of our love and all of our thoughts are with Helen and her family and friends.
‘We would like to sincerely thank members of the local community and police who came to Helen’s aid yesterday after the shocking and horrific crime. We will be assisting Victoria Police in any way we can.’
Early investigations suggested the driver performed a U-turn before hitting Haines as she was loading or unloading things from the trunk of her car, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
Albanese praised Jefferies’ intervention, calling him a hero, but the barber whose shop is next to Haines’ office downplayed his role.
‘I don’t think I’m a hero. I think that I just was a person who had an opportunity to intervene in a safe-ish sort of way,’ he said, according to the BBC.
Since 2019, Haines has represented Indi in northeast Victoria, which includes the cities of Wodonga, Wangaratta and Benalla.
The family of the former nurse and midwife thanked the ‘swift assistance of bystanders’ and the emergency services yesterday.
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