Rail or no rail, they were IN the water (25 ft from the edge), laughing, playing, taking photos, etc.
There is NO warning against that.
From the book “Off the Wall: Death in Yosemite”
“Entering any significant stream which flows over a waterfall-regardless of any sense of security inherent in what might seem like a ‘safe’ distance between one’s entry point and the fall-is a proven killer... The power of moving water, even knee deep, has carried hundreds of people to their doom in the Sierra Nevada... The shorelines of these streams are of finely polished rock which is smooth and very slippery even when dry. When wet the rock becomes extremely slick. When wet and also with algae growing on it the water’s edge becomes unbelievably tricky, worse than a melting sheet of ice. Hence the warning signs and safety railings so far from the actual stream... It is probably safer to jump into the ocean with a great white shark than to tempt fate above a high waterfall in Yosemite.”
There is NO warning against that.
Um, YES there is! Common Sense!