Tim,
I think your comments are a little harsh,
one: You were not there, and it seems that no one on this forum was there, so judgements and skepticism is pointless, because no one here knows exactly what happened.
Two: You can't say what would have or would have not have happened, unless you can predict the future, in that case you should know which lottery tickets to buy or what stocks to invest in and at what point to sell them.
Guys, let's all avoid judging the rider who let go of the kite, the circumstances, etc. Accidents happen, and talking about what would have or could have happened is pointless because in this case you can't change the past, what's done is done. Positive discussion and analysis of what can be improved, is what we should do, to prevent things like this happening to us in the future.
About getting out of the chicken loop, believe me, in a situation like this, it is almost impossible. I was unexpectedly lofted while flying an 840 arc at about 2 o'clock in side offshore winds of about 15-18 knots. What lofted me was a sudden 25+ knot gust. I was lofted about 4 meters vertically, and 20 meters horizontally, I missed a rock barrier with sharp wooden poles sticking up by about 3 meters, I am extremely lucky I didn't get hurt. Imagine the power of two pro kitesurfers kites (larger than the ones we use in the same wind), suddenly combining, take into account probable loss of control of the kites, and add to that a rider who was not expecting this, and you get the equivalent of a very strong lofting, much stronger than the one I experienced. There is no way she could have done anything.
Andres Santacruz