i greatly appreciate all of your input and response to this posting. i realize that i've provided little information for more than speculation here. the bike is currently at a LBS for a thorough inspection and i will post any conclusive results of that inspection (if there are any) when i hear back. initial discussions w/ my LBS confirmed what many have said here, a failure at the rear of the fork seems to imply damage from some type of frontal impact - but i hope to have more info in a week or so.