Nick,
It doesn't matter what problems I have with the dealer, situations arise where you have to make a decision based on what's occurred. Not every call is going to be black and white.
In this scenario, the player folded, tossed his cards face down. Immediately he realized he had a winner, grabbed his cards. The dealer then grabbed the cards from the player, and tossed them at the muck, where they landed. One card was on top of the muck. One card was touching the muck. Both cards were identifiable. Both cards were confirmed to be the player's cards by players and the dealer at the table.