Where is this coming from? Typically a mast lost at sea is a result of a knock down, or roll over, which usually doesn't put the crew in danger of being hit. Cutting it loose from the vessel requires bolt cutters, or hacksaw, and working on deck in high seas can be tricky & dangerous. A mast on a 12 meter sailboat hitting anyone on the head would kill them ... even a glancing blow.
You will have to ask Hennie Pennie. He is the one who told me about it.
I never read that the mast hit her. In one of the early articles from last week it said that she was knocked down and was unconscious after the wave hit that broke the mast. That's why it was an hour before she used her beacons after she lost her sat phone with the mast. And no, I don't remember which article. There was a flurry of them.
Where is this coming from?
Camp Sunderland hype. Earliest report from Abby was she was thrown about the cabin while working on the engine and the boat went askew.
Speculation is it was a gybe (yes she was carrying too much sail, full genoa in 30-40kt wind), the Achilles heel of her mast setup (weak backstay). And when carbon fibre goes, it goes.