The Tampa personal injury attorneys at Clark and Martino, P.A., are very familiar with various procedures used to evaluate car accident victims with traumatic brain injury. For example, as soon as a car accident victim is stabilized, medical personnel will measure vital signs like heart rate, blood pressure, pulse, and so on. Afterward, a patient with a head injury will be assessed using the Glasgow Coma Scale, a 15-point test to determine the patient’s level of consciousness.

The Glasgow Coma Scale uses three measures to find out the extent of one’s head injury—eye opening, verbal response, and motor response. Using the scale, patients may receive a score from 3-15. The lower the score on the Glasgow Coma Scale, the more severe the head injury, as follows:

When using the Glasgow Coma Scale, doctors measure a patient’s response to noises, commands, and other stimuli. Here is a breakdown on the three measurements of the Glasgow Coma Scale:

Eye opening: From 1-4, scores the patient on whether his or her eyes can be opened spontaneously

Verbal response: From 1-5, scores the patient regarding his or her ability to speak coherently

Motor response: From 1-6, scores the patient on whether he or she can move arms and legs when asked

By measuring the patient’s head injury immediately with the Glasgow Coma Scale, medical personnel are able to give a quick assessment of what the patient’s medical care needs will be, and therefore, treat brain injury patients with the utmost urgency.