Helen Haines lost a leg after Wangaratta attack, ABC reports, as barber describes intervention
Barber Ricky Jefferies says he helped detain the driver after the independent Australian MP was struck outside her electorate office. The ABC reports that Haines lost a leg.
Australian MP Helen Haines lost a leg after being struck by a car outside her electorate office in Wangaratta, Victoria, on Monday, October 19, the ABC reported. Barber Ricky Jefferies, whose business neighbours the office, said he helped detain the driver until police arrived. Haines remained in critical condition after overnight surgery, Reuters reported on Tuesday.
The ABC said Haines, 65, was pinned between two cars shortly after 3:30 p.m. She was taken to a local hospital and then flown to The Alfred in Melbourne for surgery. The medical update goes beyond our earlier report on Haines's critical condition after the Wangaratta attack.
How Ricky Jefferies says he intervened
Jefferies said he had just finished cutting a young family's hair when he heard a loud bang outside his shop. He ran out and saw that Haines had been struck. He told reporters he took a knife from the driver's pocket and threw it away because he was uneasy about the man's movements. The driver had not drawn the knife, Jefferies said.
Jefferies said he pulled the man from the vehicle and kept him at the scene until police arrived. Other locals helped, the ABC reported, including one person who sat in front of the vehicle while the driver was still behind the wheel. Jefferies rejected the praise directed at him, saying he had found an opportunity to intervene in a ‘safe-ish sort of way.’
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called Jefferies a hero in an interview with Nine's Today program, Reuters reported. He said the barber had potentially put himself at risk to help Haines. Jefferies, however, said he did not think of himself as a hero.
Investigation into the Wangaratta collision
Albanese said early findings suggested the driver made a U-turn before striking Haines as she loaded or unloaded items from the trunk of her car, according to Reuters. Authorities allege the collision was deliberate. Police arrested a 43-year-old man, the ABC reported. Counterterrorism authorities are among the agencies investigating, Reuters said; authorities had not announced a motive.
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Sources and context
- Australian barber hailed as hero for running to lawmaker's rescue during attackReuters, carried by The Straits Times
- Barber who intervened in Haines attack denies he is a heroABC News Australia
- Australian lawmaker Helen Haines in critical condition after suspected attack; man arrestedBloomberg, carried by Hindustan Times
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.