Morais Rejoins Cougs In L.A.; Girlfriend Ok

Washington State defensive tackle Delmar Morais rejoined his teammates at practice Monday, two days after his girlfriend suffered minor injuries when their vehicle flipped on Highway 195 near The Creek at Qualchan Golf Course in Spokane.

Dustine Furlong was treated and released from Deaconess Medical Center in Spokane, Morais said. She suffered a minor concussion in addition to several bumps and bruises, he said.

The accident occurred when Morais and Furlong were driving from Pullman to Spokane International Airport on Saturday morning. Morais planned to fly with the team to Los Angeles, while Furlong was on her way to visit family in Las Vegas.

Morais said he lost control of his Jeep while attempting to let another vehicle pass. Conditions were icy and the left lane was covered with snow.

“I was trying to be a nice guy and slow up so I could let him in,” said Morais, speaking after WSU’s 90-minute workout at the Coliseum. “I was going about 45 when I downshifted from fifth gear into fourth. We just started fishtailing and ran off the side of the road. Then my fender caught the embankment on the center of the road and we flipped over.”

Both were wearing seat belts, he said, but she apparently struck her head on the vehicle’s roof.

“She was in shock pretty badly and she didn’t know where she was for a while,” said Morais, a 6-foot-3, 256-pound junior. “So I just sat there and held her until somebody came.”

Several passersby stopped to help, and one man called authorities on his cellular phone. Morais tweaked a shoulder and hit his head on the roll-bar.

“That hurt, but at the time I was just worried about her because she was crying,” Morais said. “She was complaining about her hand - she had her nails done the day before and they were completely broken off.”

Furlong was released from the hospital at 12:15 p.m. Saturday and was able to catch her 1 o’clock flight. Morais flew to Los Angeles on Sunday.

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