NEW DETAILS EMERGE IN CRASH THAT GRAVELY INJURED BICYCLE-RIDER
COREY LEARNED WAS RIDING A BICYCLE IN FRONT OF HIS HOME WHEN A PICK-UP TRUCK CRASHED INTO HIM. LEARNED REMAINS IN ICU AS POLICE INVESTIGATION CONTINUES
A Malone police officer stands at the spot where Corey Learned landed after being hit by a pick-up truck driven by Benjamin Monette. Photo credit: JB Nicholas.
MALONE, NEW YORK Aug. 4, 2026
The Malone man hit by a pick-up truck while riding a bicycle in front of his home on Saturday remained in critical condition on Tuesday, while the police investigation into whether it was an accident or a crime crawled forward.
Corey Learned, 52, was hit late Saturday afternoon by Benjamin Monette, 21.
"They have him on a ventilator," Lisa Gordon, Learned sister-in-law, told The Free Lance News. "He's not doing good at all."
Monette was allowed to leave the scene Saturday evening, without being charged or even given a traffic ticket, Malone police confirmed on Tuesday.
"No citations or other charges have been filed against either party," Malone Village Police Chief William T. Andre said in an email.
An eyewitness to the crash told The Free Lance News it appeared to her Monette hit Learned on purpose, as previously reported.
"The investigation is ongoing," Chief Andre added.
The hold-up comes, he revealed, as police wait for the "results from accident reconstruction."
"According to the assigned investigators, they expect to have results in a month or two," Chief Andre explained.
Meanwhile, another witness to the crash confirmed Monette stayed in his wrecked truck after the crash and did not immediately render first aid to Learned.
"He was getting yelled at by his friends," Layla Watcher, 23, told The Free Lance News Tuesday afternoon, referring to Learned's family and friends yelling at Monette. The crash occured in front of Learned’s Duane Street residence.
"I was the one who put a tourniquet on his leg," Watcher revealed. "It didn't look like they're going to be able to save it."
In addition to his leg, Watcher said Learned's torso, chest and head were also gravely injured.
"It was bad," she said.
Not only that, Watcher added, but the "cops didn't seem too urgent or worried about it."
The scene of the crash the morning after. Photo credit: JB Nicholas.
To definitely resolve what, exactly, happened in the mioafter the crash, The Free Lance News has made a Freedom of Information Law request to the Malone Village Police Department for body-camera video from the first three officers that responded to the crash.
Chief Andre said it would talk at least a month as “your request for this footage will take some time to review.”
“As I'm sure you can appreciate, we need to ensure the privacy of the injured party is protected,” he added. “If we are able to release the video, redactions will need to be made which will take some time.”
Watcher said she lives nearby and Duane Street was an accident waiting to happened.
"Fucking people drive by here way too fast," she declared. "People just be zoomin' by."
Gina Winters, 90, who lives one block away from the crash site agreed.
"There's a couple of kids, speed up-and-down everyday," Winter said.
Winters has lived on Duane Street for four years. She added she has to be "very careful pulling out" of her driveway, which was near the crest of a blind hill.
Debbie Prue, 90, has lived in the house across from Winters for 50 years.
"Its a busy street," she said. "At night, the young people, sometimes speed by."
"One girl," Prue added, "drives by here always with a phone in her hand."
"That's the scariest thing," according to Prue. "Everyone's always on their phones."
Andrea Dumas, Malone’s mayor, did not respond to an emailed inquiry asking if the village had a “plan to do anything about the two blind hills that residents say are major hazards along this stretch of Duane Street?”
Send tips or corrections to jasonbnicholas@gmail.com or, if you prefer, thefreelancenews@proton.me