Gulf Shores High School student dies in skateboarding accident

Gulf Shores High School students are mourning the death of a student.
Hunter Sorensen, 14, a Gulf Shores High School freshman, died Sunday after he fell from a skateboard onto a street and was hit by a vehicle in Orange Beach, officials said.

Hunter's friends are using social media to express their thoughts about his passing.
The accident happened at 2:22 p.m. Sunday after Hunter came down an elevated ramp at a parking garage at Escapes condominiums, 24060 Perdido Beach Blvd.
Orange Beach Police Chief Billy Wilkins Sr. said he learned from firefighters that Hunter was wearing safety equipment, but he did not say what kind.

"From all indications, he was a very responsible young man," Wilkins said.
Another skateboarder was with Hunter when the accident happened. He was not hurt.

The parking garage's ramp leads to Perdido Beach Boulevard. The edge of the road is marked as a biking path.

As Hunter came down the ramp, he built up a substantial amount of speed, crossed the biking path and went onto the road, officials said.

He tried to turn left after coming down the ramp, Baldwin County Coroner Stan Vinson said.

"When he turned, he lost his balance or something," Vinson said. "He fell out into the east bound lanes of the highway and was struck by a vehicle."

Wilkins said the skateboarders had been stopping at the biking path before the accident.

Hunter was pronounced dead at the scene at 3:15 p.m. Sunday.

The driver, whose identity was not released, was not given a ticket.

"From all indications, the driver was obeying all traffic laws," Wilkins said.