Woman Fatally Injured in Fall From Car in NW

A 24-year-old musician and teacher was fatally injured in the District last week when she fell from atop the trunk of a car that had started to move, according to D.C. police and people who knew her.

Police said Dianne Grainger of the Baltimore area was "reportedly seated on top of the trunk area" of a car in the 7700 block of Eastern Avenue NW about 12:30 a.m. Aug 4.

As the driver left the private lot, the woman fell and struck her head on the pavement, police said. She died at Suburban Hospital on Aug. 5, police said.

Grainger taught band at Deer Park Middle Magnet School in Baltimore County, said a student there.

She was "really cool" and "down to earth," the student said.

She loved teaching, said Arthur Grainger, her grandfather.

She was also a musician and performer who was known for playing the drums.

She had attended Howard University and had played the drums on Sunday mornings at Shiloh Baptist Church in the District.

A Web site listing her performance schedule cited three appearances in July at the Blair Mansion Inn on Eastern Avenue in Silver Spring, two in jam sessions there.

Staff researcher Meg Smith contributed to this report.