It's possible but there are no signs of external damage. My guess is
that some sort of internal delamination is taking place.

The accident that could create the situation you describe would involve a
vertical blow to the pulpit itself. It's a total structural failure, not a
simple case of delam.

Coming down hard on top of a piling?

If it isn't the result of a collision, it's an issue that Sea Ray would cover
under warranty unless the boat is pretty old.

As far as I know, Sea Ray doesn't use cored hulls on boats under 40-feet. Your
friend's 290 is suffering from something other than a cored hull issue.