External Inspections
To those asking about whether a walkaround was conducted I have no idea in this particular case. However, the external inspection is not necessarily conducted immediately prior to departure, it can be done at any point on the turnaround, sometimes before any ground handling equipment turns up and certainly prior to it being removed. As a result there is a possibility that damage will be inflicted on the aircraft after the inspection has been completed, the pushback team are responsible for doing a quick visual check where I work but this might not be the case at all airlines.