I have never heard of this happening, highly suspect the mechanic (I'm one myself) did something to help cause the issue. A simple spring replacement on the front struts only needs to loosen the nut attached to the end link/strut then let the whole sway bar hang to allow the strut be removed, the spring will be swapped off the car then strut assembly reinstalled where the end link should fit right back in place with no issue at all. I'm really interested in what the hell he did to cause a 10k mile part have such damage. Not pointing fingers but highly suspect user error.