2002 Honda Odyssey

Transmission problem
2002 Honda Odyssey 6 cyl Front Wheel Drive Automatic

What could be the cause of a sudden transmission fluid
leak, and what damage would likely occur as a result of losing the transmission fluid?

I was driving under heavy conditions (weight, hills, and speed), and suddenly smelled oil, and within less than a minute
started losing power (car would not shift). I pulled over
and, the car was smoking with leaking transmission fluid. Before that, everything was smooth.

The mechanics put in some transmission fluid, and said it was shifting again. This is the notorious odyssey, but I it has the replacement transmission (re-call), plus another re-call fix on the "replacement transmission". The front end was damaged 7-mos ago, but no heavy driving since then. I suspect something is loose. No more work has been
done; the mechanic says he thinks transmission work is needed (he said he saw black fluid), I could not tell from dipstick (maybe what was left was a little brown, but light and not dark at all). But when they get back, after the holiday, I am going to ask them to fix the leak, and that's it. I will try to get the beast back home before I do anything else.