How a Mere Prick of the Finger Can Diagnose a Concussion

On September 4, 2015, 17-year old Kenney Bui's coach removed him from his Seattle high-school team's football game with a mild concussion. Thirteen days later, a doctor cleared him to play. At a game a few weeks after that, on October 2, Bui took another hit, walked off the field showing signs of confusion, and while athletic trainers asked him questions from the school district's standardized concussion screening protocol, he closed his eyes. He never opened them again. Bui was one of six high schoolers to die on the football field in 2015 from a traumatic brain injury, but every year millions of people suffer milder concussions while playing sports.