Trad climbing is inherently risky. Anyone who climbs knows this. There are simply a lot of variables in setting your own protection and relying on it to hold you in the event of a whipper (sometimes a really monster whipper.) To minimize this risk, many trad climbers don’t climb exceptionally difficult routes (some do, and I classify those guys as nuckin’ futz). Many never go past a 5.7 in their trad climbing, and that’s understandable. Honestly, a good climber should be able to downclimb a 5.7, and that (to me) sounds like a good escape policy.
Once in a while, though, you read about a climber that just didn’t calculate the variables correctly – or simply fell victim to the unknowns (and there are so many of them). It’s unfortunate that it happens at all – unfortunate and sad – but it serves as a warning to the rest of us to pay extra attention to everything. Even (and especially) when we think we’re safe.