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'Bridgerton' author Julia Quinn says father, sister killed in car crash

Julia Quinn said she had just finished writing a graphic novel with her sister that was dedicated to their father.

Julia Quinn, the author of the best-selling "Bridgerton" book series which became a popular Netflix show, said her father and sister were killed in a multi-vehicle collision in Utah last week.

"I have lost my father, and I don't have my sister with whom to grieve," Quinn wrote on Facebook Wednesday. "I have lost my sister Violet Charles Comics (linking to her sister's professional Facebook page), with whom I had just finished writing a graphic novel. It was dedicated to our father."

Quinn made reference to the collision they were involved in. A Utah Department of Public Safety press release from June 29 closely matches the description Quinn gave.

The release identifies the deceased as Stephen Lewis Cotler, 77, and Ariana Elise Cotler, 37.

Police said that a catering truck lost its load of canvas bags on the freeway. A pickup truck came upon the scene and hit the Prius the Cotlers were in. The Prius then hit another car.

The Cotlers died at the scene, police say. Another man was airlifted to the hospital and two other people were transported.

The pickup driver was arrested for DUI.

"It will still be dedicated to our father," Quinn said of the graphic novel she wrote with her sister. "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."

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