WHAT WAS CLAIMED
A witness to the alleged attack on Helen Haines did not describe any injuries or carnage during a TV interview.
OUR VERDICT
False. The witness described the attack and referenced Dr Haines’ injuries.
AAP FACTCHECK - A Facebook post that suggests the alleged attack on Helen Haines was a hoax is misrepresenting a TV interview with a witness to suggest the MP's injuries never happened.
The claim is baseless and relies on a selective edit of the interview.
The claim was made in an October 21 post by an Australian user who has separately called the alleged attack a "fake and staged" event.
The post includes multiple videos, including a 42-second clip from a Today Show interview with witness Cody Lepoidevin, who came to Dr Haines' aid immediately after the alleged car ramming.
"A witness to the incident gave a bizarre statement where he did not describe any injuries or carnage but talked about how Haines thanked everyone," the post reads.
However, the 42-second clip is an edited version of a four-minute, 14-second interview with three witnesses that the Today Show broadcast on October 21.
The 42-second clip stitches together two parts of the longer interview: one beginning at 53 seconds and another at two minutes 38 seconds.
Even in the shortened clip, Mr Lepoidevin describes seeing Dr Haines being "pinned at her car" after being hit by a vehicle (timestamp seven seconds).
In the longer video, Mr Lepoidevin also says other bystanders provided Dr Haines with first aid (timestamp 1:19).
Another person in the same TV interview said he had a first aid kit in his vehicle that he used to treat Dr Haines' injuries (timestamp 1:54).
A separate Today Show interview with Mr Lepoidevin posted to YouTube on October 20 goes into further detail about the details of the incident.
Mr Lepoidevin says in that interview that he "can't unhear" Dr Haines' screams after a person allegedly rammed his car into her three times (timestamp 19 seconds).
He then explains that witnesses unpinned the federal MP from her car and began first aid, including applying a tourniquet (timestamp 43 seconds).
Tourniquets apply local pressure to slow bleeding from life-threatening limb injuries.
The Guardian Australia reported on October 24 that Dr Haines was in a serious but stable condition in Melbourne's Alfred Hospital after having both her legs amputated.
Her alleged attacker has been charged with multiple offences, including dangerous driving causing serious injury and intentionally causing serious injury, The Guardian Australia reported.
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