22-year-old man who died in workplace fall was 'big-hearted'

The family of 22-year-old Brandon Alcorn is still trying to come to grips with the young man's death after he fell while working at a construction site in the Dartmouth Crossing shopping district. 

Alcorn was a labourer at the new Kent Building Supplies that's under construction. The provincial Department of Labour confirmed on Wednesday that a worker died after a fall at the site on Tuesday morning.

Alcorn fell from a height of at least four metres and landed on his head, said his stepmother Janice Way.

"He was brain-dead instantly," she said.

Alcorn had been on the job only two months. 

Way said the family is still in shock.

Doctors told the family that Alcorn was brain-dead with no chance of recovery, so his father, Larry Alcorn, made the decision to donate his son's organs. 

On Tuesday, Way said her stepson was at the hospital to have his organs harvested.

"He just looks like he's going to wake up and say, 'What am I even doing here in this hospital?' because he only had a black eye."

Alcorn was a kind man who was always trying to help people, and Way believes he would want his organs to go to people in need. All of Alcorn's organs — except his eyes, which can't be used because he had vision problems — are being donated.

"He'd want to do that, he'd want to help people," said Way. "He's even donating his tissue, which has the potential of helping 73 people." 

Alcorn grew up in Porters Lake and in his short life he managed to have an impact on many people he met. 

"He's … very kind, big-hearted, wore his heart on his sleeve," said Way. "Any person's lives that he's ever met he's always seemed to have left an impression."

Way said Alcorn loved the gym and worked out every day.      

The Department of Labour's occupational health and safety division is investigating.

So far, there's been no word on what he was doing when he fell, what led to his fall or if proper safety gear was in place at the time.