Julia Quinn's Father and Sister Were Involved in a Tragic Accident While Driving in Ohio

Through her bestselling works like the Bridgerton book series, Julia Quinn has endeared herself to millions of voracious readers. Sadly, her her father, Stephen Lewis Cotler, and her sister, Ariana Elise Colter (who goes by Violet Charles), were recently involved in a tragic, fatal accident.

So, what exactly happened to Julia Quinn's father and sister, and what did her candid post to fans in the wake of the situation consist of? Keep reading for all of the known details as they currently stand.

Taking to Instagram in the late hours of the evening on July 7, 2021, Julia posted a screenshot of a message from her father's Facebook page penned by a relative, which detailed how he, his daughter, and his daughter's service dog were killed in an accident involving a drunk driver.

"I have lost my father and my sister," she wrote. "Because a catering company did not secure its load and canvas bags spilled onto the highway. Because a pickup driver thought nothing of driving while his blood-alcohol level was nearly three times the legal limit. I have lost my father, and I don’t have my sister with whom to grieve."

Julia then went on to detail what she and her sister were working on prior to her death.

"I have lost my sister @violetcharlescomics, with whom I had just finished a graphic novel," Julia explained, adding, "It was dedicated to our father. It will still be dedicated to our father. 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."

Julia wasn't the only person in her family who had an interest in the written word. In fact, both her father and sister were writers who achieved various levels of success over the years. Stephen authored the well-known Cheesie Mack book series amongst other works. Violet was a cartoonist who, according to Twitter, was working on illustrations for a graphic novel titled Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron.

Stephen was driving a Toyota Prius when a Ford F-250 blew through traffic and collided with his car. The Prius then collided with a Chevy Malibu.

The father-daughter duo was reportedly pronounced dead at the scene, and another adult involved was airlifted to a nearby hospital with some injuries. The driver of the F-250 was arrested for driving under the influence.

Our condolences go out to Julia and her family at this time.