Steven Curtis Chapman and his Daughter Maria (Tucker Photography Inc.)

NASHVILLE, TENN. (ANS) -- The 5-year-old daughter of contemporary Christian music star Steven Curtis Chapman was struck and killed Wednesday by a sport utility vehicle driven by her brother, authorities said.

According to a story written by Joe Edwards and released by the Associated Press (AP), the girl, Maria, was hit in a driveway on the family residence Wednesday afternoon. The vehicle was a Toyota Land Cruiser driven by her teenage brother, Laura McPherson, a spokesman for the Tennessee Highway Patrol, told the AP.

McPherson said no charges are expected.

“It looks like a tragic accident,” she told the AP.

McPherson said a number of Chapman family members observed the accident, which happened in Williamson County just south of Nashville.

The brother apparently did not see the little girl, the AP reported McPherson said.

The girl died later at Vanderbilt Medical Center, hospital spokeswoman Laurie Holloway told the AP.

The AP reported that Chapman and his wife have promoted international adoption and have three daughters from China, including Maria.

Chapman has won five Grammy awards and 51 Dove awards from the Gospel Music Association.

The AP reported that Chapman’s web site said that the singer and his wife, Mary Beth, were persuaded by their oldest daughter to adopt a girl from China. The experience led the family to adopt two more children and create Shaohannah's Hope, a foundation and ministry to financially assist thousands of couples in adoption.

In a story written by Kate Howaqrd and Linda Zettler and published in the Tennessean, with his latest music tour, Chapman started a campaign called “Change for Orphans.”

The Tennessean reported Chapman asked audience members at each stop to bring spare change to the concert, where it was counted and given to a local family to aid in their adoption process.

“I don’t know of anybody who loves his children more than he does and is so committed to the adoption concept, and to lose one, no matter what the circumstances, is heartbreaking beyond all comprehension,” John Styll, president of the Nashville-based Gospel Music Association, told the Tennessean.

Styll added, “Chapman talks about his kids all the time. That’s his life. His kids are more important to him than music, that’s for sure.”

The Tennessean reported the tragedy was announced during Wednesday-night services at Harpeth Hills Church of Christ, which the family attends. Maria had just graduated from the church preschool. Word spread throughout the tight-knit Christian music community on Wednesday evening.

Styll got the news not long after Maria’s death.

“I’m confident I can speak for everyone in the community to say we will do everything we can to support this family, as we would do at any time, but especially at a time like this,” the Tennessean reported he said.

According to the Tennessean, most of the Chapman family was at Vanderbilt children’s hospital after the accident and could not be reached. The long, gravel driveway leading to the home west of Franklin was blocked off by Williamson County sheriff’s deputies.

Jeremy Reynalds is a freelance writer and the founder and CEO of Joy Junction, New Mexico's largest emergency homeless shelter, http://www.joyjunction.org He has a master's degree in communication from the University of New Mexico, and a Ph.D. in intercultural education from Biola University in Los Angeles. His newest book is "The Face of Homelessness." Additional details are available at http://www.HomelessBook.com He lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. For more information contact: Jeremy Reynalds at jeremyreynalds@comcast.net. Tel: (505) 400-7145. Note: A higher resolution JPEG picture of Jeremy Reynalds is available on request from Dan Wooding at danjuma1@aol.com.