I had the central plastic handle fold after 1 season. My Murrays did the same thing. It looks like they were hooked to, but i do not recall that happening. The oval wire is about 1 inch closer together. Are they under designed? Like alot of issues, this may be a PICNIC probkem. A term used by IT folks, Problem In Chair, Not In Computer.
I assume we're talking about the plastic trapeze handles. For what it's worth, I had one of these break on me after several years of use. Rather than cut the trap wire and re-swedge thimbles to install new ones, I tried the two-piece variety made of metal that screw over the wire. I wasn't disappointed, they are about 3/4 inch in diameter and are padded for a good grip. I've used them for years with no problem.
Have used the J&H handles on various Hobies for decades. I only had one fail the way you described on a beach boat that was roughly 20 years old and probably saw a lot of UV exposure. The good news is that even with that failure, you don’t get dumped in the drink.
If the handle was less than a year old, I would reach out to the seller for a warranty replacement. In my experience, the J&H seem to be very dependable, but maybe some was a batch made with a bad lot of plastic handles.
sm
Steve M.