I always carry a spare compass, but I am not sure this is a good example of why? Too much is unknown to tell what happened here, but a compass is the least important tool of the kit in this type of terrain in good weather. There are several other ways to determine general direction, as hikermor indicated. It would seem to me that she was unprepared (no map, etc) or panic set in when she lost the compass. We will probably never know what really happened.

Pet peeve -- a compass put into everything that is marketed for the outdoors! Not only do I have my working compass (a Brunton Pocket Transit) and my backup (an old Silva Outdoorsman pin on) but there are compasses in the top of my match safes (one on me and one in my pack) there was one in my Ritter PSK, there are ones in my wife's hiking poles, one in her thermometer pull on her jacket, etc., etc., etc. If she were to look carefully she might have had one or two more without noticing. I like redundancy more than most, but this is absurd.

Respectfully,

Jerry