Although state guidelines called for a prison sentence, Judge Samuel Kline decided Wednesday that a Cumberland County man had been punished enough as the result of a crash that claimed his mother's life last year.

"You, frankly, have been incarcerated (figuratively) since the day your mom died," Kline told John Rodgers, 50, of New Cumberland. "One moment of irresponsibility caused a colossal tragedy to occur."

"I've been devastated," Rodgers said.

Rodgers had entered an open guilty plea to involuntary manslaughter in May. The district attorney's office dropped a charge of homicide by vehicle.

Kline ordered Rodgers to serve 18 months on probation and fined him $150.

"If ever I've had a case in 18 years that calls for the mitigated range, it's this one," Kline said. The standard range for involuntary manslaughter is a minimum of three to 12 months in prison.

"We're not seeking jail time," Assistant District Attorney Megan Ryland-Tanner said. "This was a tragic situation. ... but there are consequences for certain choices that we make."

According to court records, Rodgers was driving his mother, Margaret, 80, north on Interstate 81 to visit her hometown of Tamaqua in Schuylkill County on Feb. 4, 2012.

Instead of remaining on I-81, Rodgers' Chevrolet Impala entered eastbound Interstate 78 where the highways come together in Union Township. Rodgers applied the car's brakes suddenly at mile marker 0.5 and began to turn left in front of a tractor-trailer driven by Leeroy Burton, 50, of Avondale, Ga., state police said.

The tractor-trailer was unable to stop and struck the car, causing it to spin several times before coming to rest in trees and bushes along the north side of the roadway at 12:50 p.m., police said.

Margaret, who was not wearing a seat belt, was declared dead at the scene.

Rodgers, who had been wearing a seat belt, was flown by helicopter to Hershey Medical Center, where he was admitted in critical condition. Burton, who was wearing a seat belt, was not injured.

Rodgers' attorney, Steven Breit, said his client "went from caregiver to pallbearer."

"This man's been punished," Breit said of Rodgers, who had no prior criminal record. "He lost his mother. He came home to the same house he shared with her."

There was no alcohol or drugs involved in the crash.

"His character and background shapes the man," Breit said.

Rodgers had cared for his mother since the death of Rodgers' father when he was in college.

His sisters, Nancy Heigel and Lori Keeffe, both spoke on his behalf and wrote a letter to Kline asking for leniency.

"I never read a letter as well-written by siblings," Kline said.

"John has always been a fantastic son to our mom," Heigel said. "He took care of the house. He drove her wherever she needed to be. ... It was a terrible accident with terrible consequences."

Keeffe said her brother "suffered physical and emotional pain. ... He was the major caregiver for our mother."

As part of his sentence, Rodgers will have to serve 20 hours of community service, which Kline requested be done by speaking to groups like Kiwanis and Rotary clubs about the importance of driving safely.

"Margaret would be proud of you if you do it right," Kline said. "You can save another poor soul of suffering through what you have."