As you begin to cope with the news that your family member or friend has suffered a traumatic brain injury in Waco, one singular point may start to dominate your thoughts: what is next? Depending on the severity of the injury, they may require extensive care for the rest of their lives, or they may be able to make a complete recovery (albeit with the assistance of rehabilitation services). Understanding this will no doubt impact your decision of what action to take, particularly of your loved one’s TBI came as the result of another’s negligence.
Yet how are you to know in the immediate aftermath of them suffering a TBI what their long-term prognosis may be? The clinicians treating them may be able to give you an indication through your family member or friend’s Glasgow Coma Score. A GCS is based on your loved one’s responses to external stimuli after having sustained a TBI. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the point categories (and associated values) used in determining a GCS are as follows:
- Eye opening (1-4)
- Verbal response (1-5)
- Motor skills (1-6)
Higher scores indicate that a TBI victim’s responses are closer to the standard clinical baseline. Thus, your hope is that your family member or friend score is high. A GCS between 13-15 indicates a mild brain injury, while a score of 9-12 indicates a severe injury. Scores of eight or below imply that your loved one has suffered a severe injury.
Even lower scores, however, can produce consequences like cognitive impairments that can make daily living difficult. This shows that even a mild TBI may require you to seek compensation to help deal with your loved one’s injury expenses.
