A member of parliament in Australia was run over by a car and lost a leg. Authorities have described the case as a deliberate act of violence. That classification rules out any suggestion that it was an ordinary traffic accident. The politician now faces a long recovery and a permanent disability after the amputation. The available reports give no details about who was driving or what the motive might have been. Attacks on elected representatives of this kind are rare in Australia, which is partly why the case has drawn attention. Officials are expected to release more information as their work on the case continues.