Crab,
There's no problem with the skills and experience of those lads, all are eminently suitable for the task.
The cable apparently contacted a mast and the shock loading snapped it. See the newest Heliops for an article on shock loading - it's ... well ... shocking.
The Teabag has shoulder and arm injuries, the paramedic is not in good condition - perhaps because he is carried lower in the harness and the teabag landed on him?
