Christian music star's daughter killed by car
Pastor Dale Morgan
Christian music star's daughter killed by car*
* Story Highlights
* Steven Curtis Chapman's daughter fatally struck by SUV driven by
her brother
* Tennessee Highway Patrol says incident was "a tragic accident"
* Chapman, five-time Grammy winner, has spoken in support of
international adoption
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) -- The 5-year-old daughter of Grammy-winning
Christian music star Steven Curtis Chapman was struck and killed
Wednesday by a sport utility vehicle driven by her brother, authorities
said.
Steven Curtis Chapman's daughter was fatally struck by a sport utility
vehicle driven by her brother Wednesday.
The girl, Maria, was hit in the driveway of the family's home Wednesday
afternoon by a Toyota Land Cruiser driven by her teenage brother, said
Laura McPherson, a spokeswoman for the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
The brother, whose name and exact age weren't available, apparently did
not see the girl, McPherson said. No charges are expected.
"It looks like a tragic accident," she said.
Several family members witnessed the accident, which happened in
Williamson County just south of Nashville. The girl died later at
Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, hospital spokeswoman
Laurie Holloway said.
A publicist for Chapman's charity organization said the family was
expected to release a statement later Wednesday night.
Chapman, who is originally from Paducah, Ky., and his wife have promoted
international adoption and have three daughters from China, including
Maria. They have three biological children.
The singer's Web site says the couple was 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.
The Chapmans did missionary work at Chinese orphanages in 2006 and 2007,
according to the Web site.
"After our first trip to China, my wife and I knew our lives were
changing -- our eyes and hearts were opening to how big God really is,
and we have wanted to experience more of that," Chapman says on the Web
site.
"We've really wondered whether or not we should just go to China and
stay there. But I don't think so. I believe God is saying, 'I want you
to go, get your heart broken, your eyes opened, and then take this story
back to the church in America and around the world."'
The 45-year-old singer also has released a book about being a father
entitled "Cinderella: The Love of Daddy and his Princess." He has won
five Grammy awards and 51 Dove awards from the Gospel Music Association.