Too bad this happened, good to read you've come to the right conclusions. The damage is typical for such a crash and yes, some details might indeed point in the direction of the lug/tube connection not being 100% OK before the crash. Check out the fork, it is usually a little bent.
The steel absorbs a lot of energy when bending, one more reason to ride steel. Alu just doesn't bend or rips apart and the rider takes full blow.