A Palmyra man will spend 40 months to 10 years in state prison after pleading guilty this week to killing his mother in a head-on DUI crash in 2023.

Judge Dennis Reinaker also sentenced Gavin Meical Kline, of the 500 block of North Railroad Street, to pay more than $204,300 in restitution after Kline pleaded guilty Thursday to charges of homicide by vehicle while DUI, aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI, homicide by vehicle, aggravated assault by vehicle, two counts of recklessly endangering another person, three counts of driving under the influence and nine summary traffic offenses.

Kline, 21, was under the influence of multiple drugs when he crashed head-on into another vehicle in the oncoming lanes of West 28th Division Highway (Route 322) in Penn Township just before 2:30 p.m. on Aug. 22, 2023.

A third vehicle, a tractor-trailer, was also struck by Kline’s vehicle after the initial collision.

Kline’s passenger, his mother, 41-year-old Bethany Welch, suffered fatal injuries in the collision and was declared dead at the scene.

The driver of the second vehicle, a small cargo van, who Kline crashed into head-on suffered serious injuries to his body that required surgery and rehabilitation including broken ribs, a fractured vertebrae and multiple fractures in his foot and ankle.

Assistant District Attorney Kyle Linardo, who prosecuted the case, said the driver of the cargo van “suffered very, very serious injuries” and that “his life has been altered” because of the crash.

The driver of the tractor-trailer was not injured.

Kline was traveling westbound behind the tractor-trailer when he entered the eastbound lanes in an attempt to pass it, despite being in a no-passing zone, and crashed head-on into the cargo van.

Speaking to police after the crash, Kline admitted to trying to pass the tractor-trailer and to using medical marijuana earlier that day.

A blood draw showed Kline had antidepressants, 11-Hydroxy Delta-9 THC, Delta-9 Carboxy THC and Delta-9 THC in his system at the time.

Northern Lancaster County Regional Police Officer Mitchell Naumann filed the charges.