How the Accident Evidence Timeline & Consultation Dossier Works
How does this tool organize incident chronologies, evaluate readiness indicators, and format consultation dossiers?
This application runs entirely in client-side JavaScript to arrange accident events into strict chronological sequence, measure elapsed days from the earliest logged timestamp, and render pin markers across an HTML5 canvas ribbon. Its audit diagnostic checks six preset categories using simple substring matching (such as checking whether the concatenated text includes terms like 'police', 'photo', or 'claim') alongside event category tags. When you compile the dossier, the tool formats a plain-text consultation brief with an optional regular expression filter that masks standard phone and claim number patterns.
The evidence audit relies strictly on basic keyword substring searches and category values rather than verifying legal sufficiency, official police filing compliance, or document admissibility. Deadlines referenced in post-accident planning—such as California's formal accident reporting window to the DMV (CVC § 16000), immediate law enforcement notice for injuries (CVC § 20008), or the general two-year civil personal injury statute of limitations (CCP § 335.1)—are statutory mandates that operate independently of this browser checklist.
Try a worked example
Click 'Reset Scenario' or observe the six preloaded collision events. Checking the 'Redact PII in Export (mask phone & policy numbers)' checkbox triggers the dossier compilation routine: within the 'Consultation-Ready Dossier Preview' text area, phone numbers and identifiers matching patterns like CLM-99014 or SD-26-88319 are immediately masked with '[REDACTED CLAIM/ID]' and '[REDACTED PHONE]'. Unchecking the box or removing an event updates the live audit status and chronology metrics in real time.
Chronological Sorting and Canvas Ribbon Mapping
When events are added or loaded, the application sorts each record by its ISO datetime string using JavaScript's Date timestamp comparison. It computes day offsets relative to the earliest record (Day +0) and spaces pin markers across the canvas proportional to elapsed time over the total span (enforcing a minimum visual denominator of 24 hours).
Keyword Heuristics vs. Statutory Reporting Deadlines
The 6-point consultation checklist evaluates presence by scanning combined event titles, descriptions, and document fields for substrings (such as 'police', 'officer', 'photo', or 'receipt') and matching specific categories. This is an informational checklist only and does not verify whether legal statutory obligations have been met.
Under California Vehicle Code § 20008, the driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in bodily injury or death must make or cause to be made a written report to the California Highway Patrol or local city police department within 24 hours. California Vehicle Code § 20008 - Accident Reports Involving Injuries or Death
Separately, under California Vehicle Code § 16000, drivers involved in collisions resulting in property damage exceeding $1,000, bodily injury, or death must submit an SR 1 report to the California Department of Motor Vehicles within 10 days. California Vehicle Code § 16000 - Reportable Vehicle Accidents (DMV SR 1)
For civil legal actions involving injury caused by neglect or wrongful act, California Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1 establishes a general two-year statute of limitations from the incident date. California Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1 - Statute of Limitations for Personal Injury
Client-Side Sanitization and Export
When PII redaction is toggled, regular expressions scan the text for 10-digit telephone structures and claim prefixes (such as CLM, ADJ, POL, or SD) to mask direct identifiers before generating the downloadable plaintext blob, ensuring data remains inside browser memory without external server transmissions.
Sources and further reading