Mooneys were affectionately referred to as doctor killers for the reason you suggest.
Non-currency kills all too frequently as well. This is especially true in low time pilots.
The aircraft wreck was almost unrecognizable.
I’m surprised a passenger survived.
There are some rather stout tree trunks in the image.
Too few details to really say what happened and why.
I usually think of V-tailed doctor killers referring to Bonanzas. The doctor we know who almost did himself and his wife in was flying a Navion which is a pretty tame aircraft, but he tried to get it off the ground too soon on a warm day and mushed in ground effect all the way to the end of the runway where he hit a tree. If he had graduated from a Cherokee instead of a 172 he probably would have realized what was going on since the same type of mishap is common in a lower powered Cherokee.