Bridgerton Author Faces Tragedy As Father And Sister Die In Car Accident

Julia Quinn's father and sister died in a tragic car accident that took place on June 29, the grieving author said, "I have lost my father, and I don’t have my sister with whom to grieve".

The crash took place in a highway pile-up in Utah, claiming the lives of 77-year-old Stephen Lewis Cotler, Quinn's father and 37-year-old Violet Charles, Quinn's sister. A catering company’s load of canvas bags spilt onto the road, the Utah Department of Public Safety said, sparking a chain-reaction smash-up involving a drunk driver.

Julie Pottinger, who is more known by her pen name Julia Quinn wrote in a Facebook post that she lost her father and her sister, "Because a pickup driver thought nothing of driving while his blood-alcohol level was nearly 3 times the legal limit."

In the said post Quinn informed that she had just finished writing a graphic novel along with her sister which was dedicated to their father.

“It will still be dedicated to our father," she added, "It won’t be a surprise anymore, but I’d like to think he suspected we’d do it. He knew us so well. He was our dad."

The authorities confirmed that the crash took place around 8.30 pm on June 29 as a result of a catering company losing its load at which time “two cars stopped, or nearly stopped for the debris.

Following the catering company losing its load, a green Ford F-250 came upon the stopped traffic and slammed into Cotler and Charles's red Toyota Prius with Cotler at the wheel and Charles riding as a passenger. It was reported that the Ford F-250 was operated by a drunk driver.

Cotler's car then struck a silver Chevy Malibu and they were pronounced dead at the spot of the accident, according to a report by New York Post.

The Ford driver, who himself sustained minor injuries, was busted for driving while intoxicated.

Along with the occupants of the Malibu, other casualties were also reported and were taken to the hospital in serious condition, cops added.

Last year, Quinn’s Bridgerton series, a period romance drama was turned into a smash-hit Netflix series, starred by Rege-Jean Page, Phoebe Dynevor, Nicola Coughlan and Jonathan Bailey, among others.