Wangaratta bystanders rushed to help Helen Haines after she was struck outside her office
Witnesses described residents moving towards the scene, while a barber from next door intervened. Haines remained in critical condition after emergency surgery.
Independent MP Helen Haines was struck outside her electorate office in Wangaratta, northern Victoria, on Monday, 19 October, prompting nearby residents to rush to her aid, ABC News reported. She was later airlifted to Melbourne for emergency surgery and remained in critical condition on Tuesday, according to the Guardian.
What witnesses described outside Haines’s office
Witnesses told ABC News that a white Toyota LandCruiser passed Haines, made a U-turn and struck her as she stood near her car. They said the vehicle reversed and struck her again. People nearby heard a bang and a scream, and at least one bystander positioned themself between the car and Haines, the broadcaster reported.
Ricky Jefferies, a barber whose shop is next door to the office, ran out after hearing the crash. ABC News reported that he pulled the driver from the vehicle and took a knife from the driver’s pocket, throwing it away. Jefferies said he saw other Wangaratta residents helping immediately, without first checking for danger: ‘They just ran to help.’ His account describes what happened at the scene; the police investigation was continuing when ABC News published its report.
The Guardian separately reported Jefferies’s intervention and quoted him telling reporters on Tuesday morning that removing the driver was ‘the right and safest thing to do’. Wangaratta mayor Irene Grant thanked him and said he had been modest about his actions when she spoke with him.
Wangaratta residents leave flowers for Helen Haines
Flowers and handwritten messages appeared outside Haines’s office within 24 hours of the incident, ABC News reported. One note thanked her for her work; another wished her a quick recovery. The response brought residents back to the place where neighbours had rushed to help her the day before.
Wangaratta is a rural city in north-east Victoria with about 20,000 residents, according to census figures cited by the Guardian. Its broader local government area has just under 30,000 people. Haines has represented the federal seat of Indi since 2019 and has campaigned on rural health services, telecommunications access and the use of public funds.
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Sources and context
- When horror came to Wangaratta, this is how locals rushed to helpABC News
- Helen Haines loses leg after car allegedly did U-turn and struck her twice in WangarattaThe Guardian
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.