CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (KESQ) The daughter of a woman killed in an October 2024 hit-and-run on East Palm Canyon Drive is suing the City of Cathedral City, alleging a burnt-out streetlamp left the roadway dangerously dark the night her mother was struck from behind and killed.

The wrongful death lawsuit, filed in Riverside County Superior Court and reviewed by News Channel 3, also names William Frank Rodriguez, the Silvercrest Advertising founder charged with murder in the crash and his company as defendants.

Christiana Lewis filed the suit on Dec. 31, 2025, over the death of her mother, Christina Barrington. The 60-year-old mother was riding her scooter east on East Palm Canyon Drive near Bankside Drive shortly before 1 a.m. on Oct. 11, 2024, along with her dog, when she was hit from behind, according to the complaint. She died the next day at Desert Regional Medical Center.

Barrington worked as a nurse, according to her death certificate, which is attached to the court filing.

Rodriguez faces criminal charges of murder, felony hit-and-run and driving on a suspended license in Riverside County Superior Court.

He has pleaded not guilty. His preliminary hearing began Aug. 3 and is set to resume Aug. 31 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.

The civil case opens a second legal front one aimed not only at the driver, but also Cathedral City.

The case against Cathedral City

The lawsuit's first amended complaint, filed June 12, alleges the stretch of East Palm Canyon Drive where Barrington was hit  was in a dangerous condition because of "inadequate lighting in the area, creating a hidden danger, hazard, and extreme risk of danger for persons driving in the subject area at night."

A government claim filed with the city in March 2025, attached to the lawsuit, is more specific: it alleges a streetlamp on the south sidewalk of East Palm Canyon Drive near the point of impact "was not in proper functioning order as the lamp was burnt and not illuminating."

"Additionally, there were no signs to warn drivers of the dangerous condition," the complaint alleges. 

The complaint claims the city knew or should have known about the lighting and cites several standards it says the city fell short of, including the city's own outdoor lighting ordinance.

The case against William "Billy" Rodriguez and Silvercrest

The lawsuit alleges Rodriguez drove a 2021 Porsche SUV "at speeds in excess of the marked speed limit, while under the voluntarily, willful, known, and purposeful influence of alcohol" and struck the rear of Barrington's scooter. It alleges he then fled the scene.

Rodriguez has pleaded not guilty in the criminal case.

The suit also targets Silvercrest Advertising, the Palm Springs company Rodriguez founded, claiming the company owned the Porsche and negligently entrusted it to him.

Court records show Rodriguez's driver's license had been suspended since a 2013 DUI conviction in Los Angeles County and was never reinstated.

What the family is seeking

Lewis is seeking economic and non-economic damages, including compensation for "the loss of Barrington's love, companionship, comfort, care, assistance, protection, affection, society, moral support, training, and guidance," according to the complaint. She is also demanding punitive damages and a jury trial.

A case filing from July puts Barrington's medical bills at $685,612 as of mid-July.

Where the case stands

Court records show the City of Cathedral City was served in June and notified the court in July that it intends to challenge the complaint, a move that extended its deadline to respond into late August.

Responses from Rodriguez and Silvercrest Advertising were due Friday, according to a filing by the family's attorneys.

The City of Cathedral City told News Channel 3 it does not comment on ongoing litigation. 

News Channel 3 first spoke with Lewis in October 2024, days after her mother was killed.

The criminal case against Rodriguez continues Aug. 31.