Baby Driver actor Hudson Meek dies at 16 after falling from vehicle

Actor Hudson Meek attends the “90 Minutes In Heaven” Atlanta premiere at the Fox Theater on September 1, 2015. Photo / Getty via Washington Post

Hudson Meek, a teenage actor best known for his role in the 2017 action film “Baby Driver,” has died after falling out of a moving vehicle in Alabama, the local coroner’s office said.

The 16-year-old was in Vestavia Hills, a suburb of Birmingham, when he suffered blunt force injuries from his fall on to the road the night of December 19, the Jefferson County coroner’s office said. He was taken to the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital, where he died two days later surrounded by friends and family.

He made his screen acting debut in 2014 in “The Santa Con,” a TV movie about a con man with court-ordered department store Santa duties who tries to make a kid’s Christmas wish come true. Meek’s most notable film credits include playing the younger version of Ansel Elgort’s character in “Baby Driver” and portraying Chris Piper in the 2015 Christian film “90 Minutes in Heaven”.

Meek was also cast in the thriller film “The School Duel”, which premiered this year, and guest-starred in the NBC drama “Found,” the CW series “Legacies” and the CBS remake of “MacGyver.” Some of his movie and TV projects are set to be released next year, his obituary says.

The teen’s family described him as “a vibrant and dynamic person who lived life to the fullest”.

A high school sophomore, he was on his school’s football team and part of choir and student government, his obituary stated. He loved water sports - including tubing, wakeboarding and open water scuba diving - had watched every episode of “The Simpsons,” visited all 50 states and was passionate about his Christian faith.

“Hudson’s personality was one of a kind. He was confident, convicted in his beliefs, spontaneous, and quick-witted,” his biography read. “He never let the facts get in the way of a funny story, and he loved friendly banter.”

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He is survived by his parents, Derek and Lani Meek, as well as his older brother, Tucker Meek.

The Vestavia Hills Police Department is investigating Meek’s death, the coroner’s office said. After the visitation, a celebration of life in Homewood, Alabama, at 12.30 pm Eastern time on Saturday, will be live-streamed on Instagram and Facebook.

“His 16 years on this earth were far too short, but he accomplished so much and significantly impacted everyone he met,” his family wrote in a statement.