When you look up the word “determination” in the dictionary, you should see a picture of Jerry Alcorn.
Alcorn was born and raised in Huntington Beach. Alcorn’s parents owned a famous restaurant in Laguna Beach called The Cottage, and he grew up in the restaurant industry alongside his mother, his brother and his great uncle.
When Alcorn was 13, his grandmother was diagnosed with cancer. Her final request was to be near her brother, Alcorn’s great uncle, who lived in Palm Springs with his partner—so the family sold the restaurant, packed up and moved to the desert.
For a while, Alcorn was interested repairing vehicles.
“I did heavy diesel equipment repair out here for years,” he said. “Then in 2007, I got my class A engineering license. Eventually, I landed a government contract excavating solar fields.”
Alcorn had been working that job for three months when the accident happened.
“I was working with two other contractors,” he said. “Some kid was just unfortunately a little messed up, and was operating a tractor he should not have been operating. He came out of the pit and flipped the tractor. There were six of us standing around in a circle having a meeting. We all ran—but the tractor hit me in the shoulder blades and smashed me down to the ground.”
Alcorn’s co-workers put him in his truck and drove him to Desert Regional Medical Center. That was his home for the next 11 months.
“I ‘died’ three times on the operating table. I should not have lived,” Alcorn said. “I woke up after my first spinal surgery, and the doctor kept asking, ‘Do you feel me pushing?’ I looked down and realized he was pushing my left foot. I realized I couldn’t feel it.”
At a point when many people would have crumbled, Alcorn’s determination kicked in.
“Life gives you lemons. You either make lemonade, or you eat the lemons,” he said. “I’ve put a lot of work in to get to where I’m at today.”
Because Alcorn’s co-workers drove him to the hospital, he said, the staff at Desert Regional didn’t realize his case was so dire, and they prioritized emergency cases being airlifted in. He said he was left in a hall near the emergency room for three days, which eventually led to a lawsuit. He prevailed, he said, but the settlement wasn’t large, because at the time, California capped malpractice-lawsuit damages at $250,000.
“For the first five months, my private health insurance was paying for almost everything, and I was paying the rest out of my own pocket,” he said. “Then an attorney friend pointed out that this is a workman’s comp case. It was certainly not my fault that a tractor landed on me at work.”
Alcorn said there are problems with the workers’ compensation system in California.
“We went through hell for seven years fighting,” he said. “I have money coming in every month now, but, of course, it’s never going to make up for the loss of my legs.”
Doctors told him that he’d never walk again, that he’d be stuck in a wheelchair for life, and that he’d have to endure bowel and bladder issues. Alcorn had other ideas.
“I’m a very stubborn-willed man, and I don’t like being told no.”
jerry alcorn
“I’m a very stubborn-willed man, and I don’t like being told no,” he said. “I was young. I had a beautiful wife and three young daughters, the youngest of whom was 9 months old. She’s never seen me walk normally.”
The rehab staff members at Desert Regional were surprised at Alcorn’s determination, but they encouraged him, he said.
“They said, ‘Dude, we don’t come across a lot of people with your attitude; just keep pushing!’” he said.
Alcorn pushed himself as much as he could, often working in the rehab room three times a day, sometimes on his own. Along the way, he lost nearly 200 pounds. (He weighed close to 450 pounds when the accident occurred.)
For the first two years, Alcorn said it felt like he was standing on top of two pool cues.
“All I felt were two sharp, painful points on my feet,” he said. “… I’d be in my front room screaming in agony from the pain and not sleeping because of the nerve pain. Because I’d been sober for eight years when the accident happened, I did not want to take a lot of pain medication. I wanted to feel in control and clear-headed.”
The first time Alcorn tried to take a step after his accident, he said, he fell on his face. “It took me years to learn the micro-process—how to stand, walk and engage,” he said.
After the braces he was using actually injured him, Alcorn went online and found TurboMed Orthotics, which makes orthotic braces that clip on to the outside of one’s shoe. He’s now an ambassador for the company.
When Alcorn was finally able to return home, he discovered a dearth of local support groups for those with spinal cord injuries. Discovering Desert Ability Center was key for Alcorn. During a ride with the group out in the east valley, his specialized bike broke down, and there were no repair shops—so Alcorn figured out how to fix it himself. That led to him opening his Palm Springs shop, Alcorn Adaptive. In addition to bikes, Alcorn works on electric items, including power scooters, mobility chairs and even lamps.
What’s his advice to others who have to endure life-changing trauma? “Reach out,” he said. “Try to find someone who’s been there, who can counsel you through the highs and lows.”
Alcorn always seems to find the silver lining.
“Before the accident, I was making triple what I am now,” he said. “But being able to take someone who’s injured and find a piece of equipment that works for them … the smiles and thank-yous I get supersede any money I could ever make.”
Resilience—it’s Jerry Alcorn’s specialty.
Learn more at alcornadaptive.com.
Bonnie Gilgallon has written theater reviews for the Independent since 2013. She hosts a digital interview show, The Desert Scene, which can be heard on www.thedesertscene.com and viewed on Mutual Broadcasting’s YouTube channel. Learn more at bonnie-g.com.
