A Spring Creek man has appealed after receiving a maximum sentence for manslaughter.

Timothy J. Doerfer, 26, was sentenced in July after pleading no contest to manslaughter, DUI: high rate of alcohol – third offense, and summary counts.

According to Pennsylvania State Police, Doerfer was the driver of an ATV on Old Route 77 east of Picadilly Hill Road at about 3 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018.

He was driving at a speed of about 40 miles per hour, according to police.

Hannah A. Wright, 19, of Titusville, was a passenger on the ATV, according to police, when it struck a deer and then a parked truck.

Wright was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police. Doerfer was taken to Corry Memorial Hospital for treatment of serious injuries.

Doerfer’s attorney, Rob Kinnear, said at the time of the plea that his client wished to plead no contest because he “has no recollection” of the incident due to injuries he sustained in the accident.

Judge Gregory Hammond said at sentencing that he has been sentencing defendants for 10 years and has “never been this moved” as he was reading the letters from the victim’s family, which he called an “unforgettable tribute” to the victim.

He told Doerfer he should have known better with his DUI history and said he is “a bad day away” from harming another family in this way and that his completed treatment came too late for the Wright family.

He told Doerfer that he hopes he can move on with his life when he get out of prison but noted that “no one is going to parole” the victim’s family.

After entering the plea, Doerfer was sentenced by Hammond to a total of 60 to 120 months in state prison.

Hammond said he was handing down the maximum punishment permitted by law, citing the death of the victim, the DUI history, the use of the ATV and the impact on friends, family and the community.

Doerfer filed for a reconsideration of sentence. That motion was denied by Hammond on Sept. 4.

A notice of appeal challenging the sentence was filed with the Superior Court of Pennsylvania on Oct. 5 and docketed by the court on Oct. 8.