Nearly three weeks after a fatal crash claimed the lives of two of her four children, Miriam Ruth “Mimy” Rollman stood in front of their peers trying to explain what happened. Rollman teaches third grade at Gehmans Mennonite School in Brecknock Township,
where her 10-year-old daughter Annika and 13-year-old son Carson were students before they were killed
in an early-morning car crash on April 18 . On May 8, she showed the class pictures of the family’s wrecked SUV taken at the crash site off the side of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway near Route 197 in Maryland. The Rollmans, of East Earl Township, said their SUV was struck from behind by a car driven by another motorist. Carson died at the scene, and Annika died at a hospital. Rollman, 47, her husband, Michael Bradley “Brad” Rollman, 48, and their two other children, 17-year-old Alia and 12-year-old Alyssa, were hospitalized with injuries that were not life-threatening. U.S. Park Police on Thursday charged
Aaron Levert Croom , 24, of Piedmont, West Virginia, with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the crash. U.S. Park Police Public Information Officer Sgt. Thomas Twiname referred a message seeking more information, including if Croom is in custody, to the U.S. attorney’s office. Assistant U.S. attorney Ellen Nazmy of the U.S. attorney’s office for the District of Maryland said more information is not currently being released. Miriam Rollman, who is in her 10th year teaching at Gehmans, said the students were able to ask questions and better understand what happened to their classmates and friends. “It was a special morning to just be together again,” she said. The Rollman family is well known at the K-8 Gehmans Mennonite School, which has an enrollment of less than 200 students. Miriam Rollman’s class had recess and lunch periods with Annika, and many were friends with Carson. “It really rocked our school,” she said. “We’ve never had anything like this happen.” Chelsea Stoltzfus spreads stone at the Brecknock Township home of Mimy and Brad Rollman as work us under way on the memorial on Thursday, May 22, 2025. John Stoltzfus, of Renew Turf Science, operates a sod cutter as they work on the memorial garden at the home of Mimi and Brad Rollman in Brecknock Township on Thursday, May 22, 2025. Marlene Zook, left, and Daisy Esh, of Renew Turf Science, work at the Brecknock Township home of Mimi and Brad Rollman on Thursday, May 22, 2025. Maria Esh, of Renew Turf Science, tosses a clump of sod as she works on the memorial garden at the home of Mimi and Brad Rollman in Brecknock Township on Thursday, May 22, 2025. Maria Esh, of Renew Turf Science, tosses a clump of sod as she works on the the memorial garden at the home of Mimi and Brad Rollman in Brecknock Township on Thursday, May 22, 2025. Naomi Wipf, ofRenew Turf Science, tosses clumps of sod as she works on the memorial garden at the home of Mimi and Brad Rollman in Brecknock Township on Thursday, May 22, 2025. Josiah Esh, of Renew Turf Science, pushes a wheel barrow full of stone during work on the memorial garden at the home of Mimi and Brad Rollman in Brecknock Township on Thursday, May 22, 2025. Maria Esh, left, and Naomi Wipf, of Renew Turf Science, move sod as they make way for the memorial garden at the home of Mimi and Brad Rollman in Brecknock Township on Thursday, May 22, 2025. Naomi Wipf, left, and Marlene Zook, of Renew Turf Science, toss sod into a wheel barrow as they work on the memorial garden at the home of Mimi and Brad Rollman in Brecknock Township on Thursday, May 22, 2025. Marlene Zook, foreground left, and Naomi Wipf, of Renew Turf Science, work on the memorial garden at the home of Mimi and Brad Rollman in Brecknock Township on Thursday, May 22, 2025. In the background are Josiah Esh, left, Daisy Esh, center, and Maria Esh. Renew Turf Science, work on the memorial garden at the home of Mimi and Brad Rollman in Brecknock Township on Thursday, May 22, 2025. Members of the Rollman family from left: Alyssa, 12, Brad, Mimy and Alea, 17, pose with pictures of Carson, left, and Annika at their Brecknock Township home on Thursday, May 22, 2025. Alyssa is holding a picture of Annika and Alea is holding a picture of Carson. Carson and Annika died a the result of a crash in April.
Memorial for Annika and Carson Rollman [photos]
Josiah Esh, of Lebanon, left, stands by the wheel barrow as John Stoltzfus, of Renew Turf Science, shovels stone during work on the memorial garden at the home of Mimi and Brad Rollman in Brecknock Township on Thursday, May 22, 2025. Brad Rollman, left, and his wife Mimi, center, talk with Naomi Wipf, of Renew Turf Science as work is under way on the memorial garden at the home of Rollman’s home in Brecknock Township on Thursday, May 22, 2025. Chelsea Stoltzfus spreads stone at the Brecknock Township home of Mimy and Brad Rollman as work us under way on the memorial on Thursday, May 22, 2025. John Stoltzfus, of Renew Turf Science, operates a sod cutter as they work on the memorial garden at the home of Mimi and Brad Rollman in Brecknock Township on Thursday, May 22, 2025. Marlene Zook, left, and Daisy Esh, of Renew Turf Science, work at the Brecknock Township home of Mimi and Brad Rollman on Thursday, May 22, 2025. Maria Esh, of Renew Turf Science, tosses a clump of sod as she works on the memorial garden at the home of Mimi and Brad Rollman in Brecknock Township on Thursday, May 22, 2025. Maria Esh, of Renew Turf Science, tosses a clump of sod as she works on the the memorial garden at the home of Mimi and Brad Rollman in Brecknock Township on Thursday, May 22, 2025. Naomi Wipf, ofRenew Turf Science, tosses clumps of sod as she works on the memorial garden at the home of Mimi and Brad Rollman in Brecknock Township on Thursday, May 22, 2025. Josiah Esh, of Renew Turf Science, pushes a wheel barrow full of stone during work on the memorial garden at the home of Mimi and Brad Rollman in Brecknock Township on Thursday, May 22, 2025. Maria Esh, left, and Naomi Wipf, of Renew Turf Science, move sod as they make way for the memorial garden at the home of Mimi and Brad Rollman in Brecknock Township on Thursday, May 22, 2025. Naomi Wipf, left, and Marlene Zook, of Renew Turf Science, toss sod into a wheel barrow as they work on the memorial garden at the home of Mimi and Brad Rollman in Brecknock Township on Thursday, May 22, 2025. Marlene Zook, foreground left, and Naomi Wipf, of Renew Turf Science, work on the memorial garden at the home of Mimi and Brad Rollman in Brecknock Township on Thursday, May 22, 2025. In the background are Josiah Esh, left, Daisy Esh, center, and Maria Esh. Renew Turf Science, work on the memorial garden at the home of Mimi and Brad Rollman in Brecknock Township on Thursday, May 22, 2025. Members of the Rollman family from left: Alyssa, 12, Brad, Mimy and Alea, 17, pose with pictures of Carson, left, and Annika at their Brecknock Township home on Thursday, May 22, 2025. Alyssa is holding a picture of Annika and Alea is holding a picture of Carson. Carson and Annika died a the result of a crash in April.
‘It’s just such a blessing’
The family has been overwhelmed with community support, which Michael and Miriam Rollman said includes receiving endless stacks of condolence letters in the mail, which the family opens every evening. “It's so humbling to be on the receiving end of things. It's just such a blessing,” Miriam Rollman said. “It takes the sting out of it a little.” The Garden Spot youth football program where Carson played created the Carson Rollman Scholarship to help future players cover the cost of joining the program. Michael Rollman said neighbors have been helping with house maintenance, taking out the trash and mowing the lawn. A family friend
created a GoFundMe page that has raised more than $96,000 as of Thursday that has helped the family purchase a new family car and pay for funeral expenses. The support was palpable at Carson’s and Annika’s April 24 funeral at Petra Church in Earl Township, where the Rollman family said more than 1,150 people attended the funeral service and 1,500 came to the viewing. Dozens of friends and family took to the stage to share memories of Carson and Annika, laughing, sobbing, and holding one another. Michael Rollman said at least 800 people watched the service online, noting international missionary friends, family and complete strangers tuned in from Thailand, Switzerland, Indonesia, and Kenya. Miriam Rollman sang worship songs at the funeral service, while her husband played the drums.
From left, Alyssa, Carson, Miriam Ruth "Mimy", Michael Bradley "Brad", Annika, and Alea Rollman are seen in this undated photo provided by Miriam and Michael Rollman. ‘It’s still so hard’
The Rollmans cite their Christian faith as a major factor for how they have been able to recover after the tragic loss of Carson and Annika. They said they have relied on that faith to get them through six miscarriages as well as some bumps in the process when they adopted their children. “We've been through so much loss in our lives,” Miriam Rollman said. “It's still so hard, but we just totally rest and surrender to our father ... it's a good opportunity to share our story and just how God is faithful.” She said the family feels Carson’s and Annika’s absence most acutely in the evenings, missing end-of-day cuddles and sharing. “They were definitely our two snuggly ones,” she said. At the end of her discussion with her students about the crash on May 8, Miriam Rollman was asked about where Carson and Annika are now, what heaven is like and if Carson and Annika can see their mother and the students. “I don't know everything about heaven,” she said. “I don't know what they're doing. I think they can see the happy things down here, but not the sad things and just stuff like that. So yeah, it was a very good morning.”
What to Read Next
