Did someone check the suspension and ball joints very carefully. It may be that something there broke, resulting in severe negative camber, and that the same time hyper-extending the CV joint and killing it.
Just a thought. Always tough to diagnose without being there.
BTW, make sure you get the correct side as they are different left & right. Also tell them you don't want one of a car that had damage to that corner. Even without bending one, a side impact such as sliding sideways into a curb can damage the Teflon (nylon?) button that the end of the shaft rides on, and a harder hit can damage bearings etc inside.